We Have This Moment Today
by stardust2002
Summary: Story takes place directly after 'Lay Down Your Burdens part 1. It is AU after the events of LDYB part 1 but includes some of part 2 and spoilers for season 3. Starts off Kara Anders but things change ...
1. Chapter 1

**We Have This Moment Today**

This story takes place pretty much directly after 'Lay Down Your Burdens - part 1'. IT DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR PART 2 - but though some of the storyline is based on spoilers, much of it is my imagination - what I think MAY happen in part 2 and beyond. (just having a little fun playing with them!)

**oooooooooooooo**

As she stepped off the raptor, Lee saw it. The glint on her left hand - from the diamond ring she now wore. All he got was one glimpse, then she was swallowed up in hugs, congratulations and introductions and she disappeared into the throng, a tall, dark man with a huge smile following her. Anders. Must be him. Lee had never really cared much for Pyramid and unlike Helo, couldn't identify the members of Caprica's old team on sight, but judging from the stupidly happy grin on his face, it had to be him. He stuck around for a while, playing the 'Commander' role, but not really doing anything at all. He needed to talk to Kara, but not here, not now, in front of all these people.

The noise level was immense, and the ambrosia was flowing freely, (his deck crew was going to be ticked later when they had a sticky deck to clean), and it reminded Lee of the time nearly a year earlier when he'd successfully blown up the cylon's tylium refinery and come home to a hero's welcome. Of course then it had been on Galactica not Pegasus, and the person he'd sought out first to celebrate with had been Kara. _She _on the other hand was everywhere _but _where he was, Anders either attached to her hand or standing close with an arm around her shoulder. And she was allowing him to be possessive. It really wasn't like Kara at all, Lee thought - she was her own woman - _no one _owned Kara Thrace.

Lee finally got tired of it all and decided to leave. He walked the relatively quiet corridors to his office, feeling like there was a lead brick sitting in the pit of his stomach. He sat at his desk, trying to work, but he just couldn't think of anything but Kara. He'd been serious when he'd told her he hoped she'd find Anders. Really, he had. He'd been enjoying his new relationship with Dee and felt bad that Kara was still hurting. He'd even been magnanimous enough to forgive her for trying to use him to escape her troubles. That had been a tough time between them - made worse by the shooting, but they'd made up and were 'okay' again. Except Lee had followed up with Dee and begun something with her, and Kara ... well she was still stuck in oblivion, desperate to go back to Caprica to find out if her lover was still alive. _Turns out he was, _Lee thought ruefully. _I guess he _is _every bit tough enough for her._

His reverie was disturbed by the sound of the door. "Come in," he called, shuffling the papers he was ostensibly working on so it looked like he was busy. He stood involuntarily when he saw who it was. "Kara," he said, unable to say anything more.

"Missed you in the hangar bay. I thought you'd be glad to see me," she said, a mischevious glint in her eye.

"I am." He walked around the desk and stood a few feet in front of her. "I never had any doubt you'd come back." He smiled a genuine smile.

She blushed slightly. "It wasn't as easy as that, but we made it."

"He's alive, I see."

She smiled, eyes glowing with joy. "Thank the gods. His camp was attacked the very day we arrived and they lost half their people. I don't know _what _I would have done if we'd gotten there too late ..."

They stood silently, staring at one another for a few moments. But the torment was too much for Lee. He reached forward and grabbed her left hand off her hip.

"So what's this?" he demanded, sounding angrier than he'd planned to.

Kara stared defiantly at him, as if daring him. "Sam and I are getting married."

"Yeah, I figured that's what the _engagement ring _meant," he said sarcastically.

She stared at him levelly for a minute, eyes unreadable. "What do you want from me Lee?" She pulled her hand back and put it back on her hip. "You _know _I care for him. I think _that's _always been plainly obvious."

Lee stared at her, wondering what to say.

"What did you think was going to happen when we were together again? Pretend we didn't know each other?"

"I don't know," he exploded suddenly. "Maybe that you'd _wait _and actually get to know one another before making a commitment like this?"

She shrugged. "I'm not the one who likes to over-think things. I go with my instincts."

He nodded, watching her closely. She didn't flinch under his scrutiny. She wasn't embarrassed or upset. She was confident, decisive - a woman who knew what she was doing.

"So, who asked - you or him?"

"He did." She smiled as she reflected back on the proposal.

_Sam pulled Kara down beside him and put his arm around her shoulders to warm and comfort her. They'd been on the run for hours, but had finally managed to evade the last few cylons and found a cave hidden in the hillside in which to pass a few hours. Sam and a few others had scrounged a few twigs to make a small fire while the marines pulled out their survival supplies and divided up the food._

_They sat together silently, staring into the firelight, body language saying more than words ever could. His arm was protectively hugging her close and she melted into his side, all pretense of strength dropping away. The past months had been hell - for both of them. They'd both needed to be strong and put their feelings aside in order to do what was necessary, but now those feelings were coming to the surface, and they were overwhelming._

_"Did you ever doubt me?" Kara asked softly._

_"Doubt you?"_

_She turned to look at him. "Doubt that I'd come back for you."_

_He turned and looked deep into her eyes, face serious. "Not for a second."_

_"Even though it took so long? I promised I'd send a rescue party right away and then the weeks went by ..."_

_Sam took her hand in his free one and squeezed it. "Every day I expected to see you, my blonde angel come to rescue me from hell."_

_"Didn't you _ever _think I wouldn't come?"_

_"Wouldn't? No. Couldn't? Well ... too many times to count. Every day that would go by and you didn't come, I thought that something had happened to you. Either you couldn't find your way back, or you hadn't even made it home in the first place ... I was afraid you were already dead," he added in a whisper._

_"How could you have such trust in me?" she asked wonderingly. "We only knew each other a few days - how did you know I'd keep my promise?"_

_"I knew." It was as simple as that. From the moment she'd made the promise, he'd believed it. Not only with his head, but also with his heart. she'd taken a part of his heart with her when she'd left, and somehow he just knew she would return it._

_She squeezed his hand back - relieved beyond belief that she hadn't been the only who'd felt it between them. "I was going crazy without you. I kept seeing you, thinking of you and the time we spent together. It consumed me to the point where I just couldn't function anymore. I _had _to come back."_

_"It's too bad you couldn't have come sooner," he said sadly. "We lost a lot of good people."_

_"So did we," she whispered. "The last couple of months have been hell for us. I'm amazed we're still alive, to be honest."_

_"Thank the lords of Kobol you are," he said earnestly, letting go of her hand and reaching into his pocket for something and hiding it in his closed fist. "I picked this up when we were in Caprica city." He opened his fist to reveal a small but beautiful sparkling diamond ring. "I don't ever want to let you go again Kara - will you marry me? Please?"_

_Her mouth hung open for a moment. "Sam, I ..."_

_"Please Kara, I love you. Every day you were gone felt like a lifetime. I _need _you, you're a part of me." Tears sparkled in his eyes._

_"Yes," she said, before she was aware of saying it. Then her brain caught up to her mouth. "Yes, I'll marry you Sam," she said, smiling widely._

_"You will?" He was the picture of amazement._

_Kara reached up and kissed him sweetly. "Yes I will," she murmured against his lips, and without even looking down, he picked up her left hand and slid the ring on her finger. It was a little bit loose._

_"Sorry, I wasn't sure what size you were."_

_"It's perfect. I love it." Kara finally pulled back to look at him. Two tears made a path down each of her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs, cupping her face tenderly._

_"Don't ever leave me again - promise?"_

_"Promise."_

_And they'd cuddled up near the fire to rest a few hours before finding a way home, unable to consummate their new relationship yet, but content in just being together._

Kara smiled. "I was surprised, to be sure, but I couldn't be happier."

"Well, I'm happy for you then. I'm glad you've gotten what you wanted." His voice was flat and unemotional - he was striving hard to keep it that way, despite the anger he felt.

For a few moments they simply stared at one another and Lee did a little soul-searching. _Why the hell am I feeling angry about this? _he asked himself._ I should be happy Kara's happy - she's obviously been suffering for weeks. Why am I not happy for her? Is it because I want her for myself? _And Lee was, for the first time, truly honest with himself. _A part of me does - there's something so magical, so enticing about her, and about the way we fit together so perfectly in the sky. But really, is Kara THE woman for me?_ And Lee had to admit she wasn't. There was _something _between them, regardless of whether or not Kara wanted to admit it, but it wasn't the sort of something that led to 'happily ever after.' More like 'tease, fight, hit, make-up'. And that just wasn't the stuff of happy, long-lasting relationship. It was the kind of relationship that people who were close friends, almost like brother and sister, had. Which is what they were. What they'd always been. What they always would be - hopefully.

He stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug - like he should have done the minute she'd stepped off that raptor. "Really, I _am _happy for you Kara. Be good to each other and be happy, okay?"

After a moment's hesitation, she hugged back, a feeling of joy flooding through her. _This _was what she needed - the acceptance and blessing of her closest friend, one of the few people who's opinion mattered to her.

"Thanks," she whispered. "We will."

**TBC**


	2. Song words

We Have This Moment Today - song

I just wanted to share with you all the words to the song that inspired the title of this story. It's one I've always liked and am coming to appreciate more and more as I get older, and one that immediately sprang to mind back in 'Scar' when Kara was talking about how she and Lee wouldn't be around to enjoy that 'bright, shiny future' that they were fighting for.

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Hold tight to the sound of the music of living

Happy songs from the laughter of children at play

Tender words, gentle touch, between friends and family

Making memories of what was today

We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch

As it slips through our fingers like sand

Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come

But we have this moment today

Time goes on, years pass by, and the memories keep building

As we add to them each special moment we share

Hold them near, while they're here and don't wait for tomorrow

To look back and wish for today

Take the blue of the sky and the green of the forest

And the gold and the brown of the freshly mown hay

Add the pale shades of spring and the circus of autumn

And weave you a lovely today

We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch

As it slips through our fingers like sand

Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come

But we have this moment today

**ooooooooooooooooo**


	3. Chapter 3

WHTMT - chapter 2

Well folks, this will be the last chapter of this before the season finale. I've added another spoiler to the mix - but some of how the story will go is still my imagination. It may well be that it will go AU after tonight. We'll just have to wait and see!

**oooooooooooooooo**

Two weeks had gone by - two more yet to go till the wedding, and still Lee felt unsettled about it. The anger had faded and left in it's place an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

Of course it didn't help that the election had gone about as badly as it could possibly go and Baltar had won by a landslide. Settlement was now occurring on the planet they were calling New Kobol (some wanted New Caprica, Baltar included, but many factions from other planets threatened to revolt if they did), at a rapid rate. People were so eager to leave their ships and feel terra firma beneath their feet that they were sleeping in tents, some without even having sleeping bags.

But still, dissension in the fleet notwithstanding, Lee was uncomfortable about Kara and Anders. The feeling only occurred when he thought of them, though he'd already accepted that 'them' was something that was going to last. At first he'd been happy they'd decided to wait a month - give Kara time to figure out if this _really _was what she wanted. Kara was headstrong enough to want to 'do it now!' if the feeling so dictated, and he was glad she hadn't. Frak - they'd only known each other six days and already they'd gotten engaged! Either they were crazy, or Lee was going to have to rethink his position on love at first sight.

But the more time that passed, and the more rumours he heard about them convinced him there was no turning back. She was going through with it. They were the talk of the hour - even eclipsing the election - Starbuck was always a good target for the rumour mill anyway, being somewhat larger than life, but she was making no attempt to hide this. She and Anders were together almost every minute they were able to be, she wore his ring for everyone to see, and they shared a bed. It was plain for everyone to see - Starbuck was happy. She'd fallen in love and was willing to commit herself forever, and _that _had people talking.

It took a long while before Lee could put his finger on exactly what was bothering him. It wasn't that he was jealous of Anders for having Kara, he was jealous of what they had together. For what he and Dee had couldn't hold a candle to it. It was nice, and fun, and definitely enjoyable in bed, but that's as far as it went. Dee was a nice girl and he truly did like her, but he couldn't imagine risking his life to go back to cylon-infested Caprica just to save her, the way Kara had for Anders. He couldn't imagine the all-consuming passion Kara had that had nearly driven her over the edge into suicide. He couldn't imagine knowing someone for less than a week and already knowing he or she was your soul-mate. Hell, he'd known Dee for the better part of a year, quite well the last few months in fact, but as much as he tried to throw himself into the relationship ... he didn't love her. Didn't know if he ever would. That spark that Kara and Anders felt for each other just wasn't there for him. _Sometimes it is, _he reminded himself, _ just for Kara, not Dee. You should have claimed her while you had the chance! _ But he reminded himself that while that spark of attraction was definitely there between himself and Kara, it could never go anywhere. They'd both known it, which is why it never had, save that one time they were both drunk and needy, desperate to escape their inner demons. _ Yeah, and that's the perfect reason to get yourself into a relationship with someone else - because you're trying to run away from what's inside yourself._

"You're really one frakked up dude Lee," he mumbled to himself as he worked, shaking his head at his own stupidity. _Why is it personal relationships are so very hard? Commanding a battlestar is easy in comparison!_

**oooooooooooooooooooo**

Kara sat in her office, slogging through page after page of papers that needed to be filled out. It was one of the parts of Lee's job she'd never envied him, and she certainly was less than thrilled now that the responsibility had fallen on her shoulders. The glint of her ring distracted her every so often though, and she smiled as she thought of Sam, and their upcoming wedding.

She'd second-guessed herself a little since coming back to Galactica, not that she'd ever admit that to him, since everyone thought she was more than a little crazy marrying a man she hardly knew. Not that she wasn't known for crazy stunts, but this had hit everyone a hard left field, and the talk had been unending.

She'd tried to ignore it though and searched her heart. Was this what she _really _wanted? Yes, it was. She loved Sam, he loved her. She may not know everything about him, but she knew enough, and the rest would come. They had the rest of their lives, after all, to get to know one another. But who knew how long _that _would be? She thought back to the conversation she and Lee had had the night they'd gotten drunk and nearly frakked.

_"The President says we're saving humanity for a bright, shiny future ... on earth, that you and I will never see." She paused, then whispered, "we won't." Then her voice gained strength again, "because we go out there over and over, till one day some metal motherfrakker is gonna catch us on a bad day and just blow us away." She smiled ruefully, knowing the truth hurt, but knowing also that it had to be said._

_"Bright shiny futures are overrated anyway," Lee said, topping up their glasses._

_"That's why we've got to get what we can ... right now."_

_The expression on his face was curious, but he agreed with her. "I'll drink to that."_

And they had.

Of course, 'getting what we can' had had a slightly different meaning then - and she'd almost been able to believe that Lee was what she wanted, but in hindsight, it had been a mistake. She'd been pissed as hell at Lee for stopping things to talk, _isn't that just like Lee - always trying to over-think things! _, but now she was grateful he had. Sam had been faithful to her, and she had intended to be faithful to him, her resolve only cracking under the intense pressure she'd been under.

But the truth of that conversation was undeniable - who knew how long _any _of them had to live? Especially those out on the front lines like herself. _No, we can only count on this moment, here and now, today, and I'm not going to waste any of them! I love Sam and want to be with him, so to hell with what anyone else thinks! _It had been a hard sell to the Admiral though.

_"You're what? he exploded, usually placid face screwed up in shock._

_"Getting married," she repeated, holding the ring out for him to see._

_"I knew there had to be a personal reason why you were so desperate to go back to Caprica, but Kara ... are you _sure _this is what you want? I mean, he's here with us now - you have time to think and decide if it's what you really want."_

_"I don't need to, and it is. I've thought about it. All the way home I thought about it. I'm sure."_

_Adama studied her for a few moments. She was. She wasn't the usual arrogant Starbuck, who was bucking convention just to be a pain in the ass, nor was she Kara, the vulnerable, scared woman who was still suffering from the consequences of the bad decisions she'd made, reaching out to find acceptance and love wherever she could. She was the perfect mix of both - a woman who knew what she wanted and was confident that she was making the right choice in giving herself to this man._

_He took her hand in his. "Just do me one favour. Please?"_

_"Anything for you sir, you know that."_

_"Give it a month. Plan the wedding for a month from now. Give yourselves some time to get to know one another better and figure out how he can fit into your life here. It's pretty full already."_

_"I'll make room." She smiled at him. "One month it is then."_

_"Good. That gives us time to get this ... stupid election done and dealt with." He shook his head. "I wish it was over already. I hate politics."_

_"Me too." She squeezed his hand. "Thank you sir. I really appreciate the support."_

_He took her into his arms and gave her a fatherly hug. "Always for you Kara. Always for you."_

A knock at the door pulled her back to reality.

"Knock, knock," Sam said, as he pulled the hatch open and stepped inside.

"Hey, you done already?" Kara smiled.

"Yeah, they let us go early today." Sam had decided to join the marine corps - he couldn't stand to just sit around and do nothing, not after spending almost a year fighting - and had begun training a few days earlier.

Kara moved to the front of her desk and leaned back on it as he came forward, arms encircling her waist. "How's it going?"

"Good. A lot of this stuff I figured out during the past year, but I'm sure there's more to come yet." He smiled and her heart puddled in her chest, as it always did when he smiled at her. _He is so frakking gorgeous! How did I get so lucky?_

"You nearly done? I was hoping we could get dinner."

She sighed. "This job sucks. Way too much paperwork. I've got a little bit more that needs finishing today."

"How 'bout if I stay and give you incentive to finish quicker." He claimed her mouth and kissed her passionately. Kara's hands came up involuntarily and laced themselves in his hair as she gave herself up to the moment. Then she pushed him away and laughed.

"Yeah, _that's _really gonna make me want to work."

He flashed her that heart-stopping smile again and walked over to the couch. "Fine. I'll stay over here then."

"Much better idea," she smiled as she sat down and picked up her pen.

Sam watched her as she worked, brow furrowing in concentration. She twirled a loose strand of hair between her fingers, and it was all he could do not to go over and join her. He longed to pull out her ponytail and run his fingers through her soft, flaxen hair. It aroused him greatly, and judging from her response when he did it, she found it just as stimulating.

He couldn't believe that this beautiful, incredible woman was about to become his wife. His heart felt like it would burst with happiness at the thought. _Gods, I've never been so happy - even when we won the Pyramid Cup!_ He sat back and smiled, content to watch he work. So long as he was with her, he couldn't be happier. _Lords of Kobol - thank you for answering my prayers. Thank you for giving me Kara, the most amazing woman I could ever imagine knowing. Protect her and keep her safe when I can't._

**TBC**


	4. The Wedding

WHTMT - chapter 3

**ooooooooooooooo**

_From this moment, life has begun_

_From this moment, you are the one_

_Right beside you is where I belong_

_From this moment on_

**ooooooooooooooo**

Sam watched as Kara walked down the makeshift aisle towards him, escorted by the Admiral in full dress uniform. He was all but unnoticeable though, as Kara shone with radiance. She wore a white dress - not a traditional wedding dress, but a long white gown with turquoise flowers sprinkled carelessly across it.

Her face was as none had ever seen it before - glowing with joy, eyes sparkling happily. Her smile was wide but shy, teeth barely showing.

The chairs were all full, many of Galactica's crew wanting to be a part of this most unique occasion. All of Sam's friends from Caprica were in attendance as well, wanting to be a part of the consummation of the relationship they'd witnessed the beginning of between him and Kara.

**oooooooooooooo**

_From this moment, I have been blessed_

_I live only for your happiness_

_And for your love I'd give my last breath_

_From this moment on_

**ooooooooooooo**

Kara's heart raced as she took Sam's hand in hers, ready to say her vows to him.

"I promise to love, honour and cherish you Samuel as my husband, as long as we both shall live, enjoying every moment we have together, whether in joy or sorrow, in sickness or health, always being there for each other, forever."

She looked deep into his eyes as she spoke, and the tears she saw there spurred on her own. Her voice cracked as she reached the end, and one tear broke free and wound it's way down her cheek. He lifted his other hand up and brushed it away, but as he smiled at her the tears spilled down his own cheeks. Kara involuntarily gave a nervous giggle, and it was catching. Sam laughed as well, and soon the entire crowd of people were laughing, many of them through their own tears.

**oooooooooooo**

_I give my hand to you with all my heart_

_I can't wait to live my life with you, I can't wait to start_

_You and I will never be apart_

_My dreams came true because of you_

**oooooooooooo**

The giggles ended eventually and Sam took a deep breath and squeezed Kara's hand.

"I promise to love, honour and cherish you Kara as my wife, as long as we both shall live, to love you, protect you and be with you wherever you go, sharing your joys and sorrows, helping you through the tough times and rejoicing with you in our happiness. I will always be here for you - never doubt that, ever. I love you with all my heart and you will always be the most important thing in my life. Forever."

And the tears began again, spilling down Kara's cheeks this time, as her heart finally admitted the truth of his feelings for her. He'd told her loved her many times, and showed her through his actions, but Kara was a wary soul and found it hard to trust others. Perhaps because she'd been hurt so many times in the past, she was reluctant to believe that anyone could love her like Sam did. She knew he did in her mind, but somehow her heart had always held just a small measure of doubt, always expecting things wouldn't work out in the end.

Sam's words, combined with the look of absolute love and devotion in his eyes finally convinced that last bit of doubt to vanish.

**ooooooooooooo**

_From this moment, as long as I live_

_I will love you, I promise you this_

_There is nothing I wouldn't give_

_From this moment on_

**ooooooooooooo**

"As the ceremony is concluded and the sacred marriage rites have been accomplished, I bestow the blessing of the lords of Kobol on you Samuel and Kara, newly bound as husband and wife. You are now one in the eyes of the gods and in the eyes of your friends and family, should you still have any."

Kara looked over at the Admiral and Lee, sitting side by side - the closest thing she had to family. Lee had a sweet smile on his face as his eyes met hers - that boyishly handsome smile that he always reserved for her. His father had a smile as well, and as she watched, he removed his glasses and wiped the tears out of his eyes. Her heart swelled - she'd never been happier. All the people she loved the most were here, close by and happy for her.

"You may now kiss to seal the covenant."

"This is the part I've been waiting for," Sam teased in a whisper as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Kara slapped his arm, forgetting for the moment where she was. She was suddenly reminded though, as the audience broke into laughter. She flushed deeply, but Sam merely laughed as well and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. She forgot everything again as she lost herself in him.

**oooooooooooooo**

_You're the reason I believe in love_

_And you're the answer to my prayers from up above_

_All we need is just the two of us_

_My dreams came true because of you_

**oooooooooooooo**

"So, are you as happy as I am?" Sam whispered in Kara's ear as they danced together.

"Nope." He pulled back in surprise and stared at her.

"I'm happier." She moved close and they kissed, bodies swaying slowly to the music.

Adama sat with Roslin, watching Kara and Sam dancing, a happy smile on his face. As Lee and Dee came off the dance floor to join them, Adama leaned forwards to speak to his son.

"I never thought I'd see this day," he murmured.

"Me neither," Lee answered honestly.

"I'd like to think this is how things would have been with Zack, had he lived."

Lee looked at him and gave a small smile. "It would have been. You never saw them together, but I did, and they were an awful lot like this."

"I figured that, given Zack's personality. Sam reminds me a lot of him. I'm glad Kara found someone else. Forever is a long time when all you have is the memory of someone you loved."

Lee nodded. Even though he still had feelings for Kara - feelings that were not just the friendship type - she was happy with Sam, someone who was so much like her it was almost scary. But, he had to admit to himself, the kind of person she really needed.

"I'm glad too," he said, reaching for Dee's hand and squeezing it.

**oooooooooooooo**

_From this moment, as long as I live_

_I will love you, I promise you this_

_There is nothing I wouldn't give_

_From this moment, I will love you, as long as I live_

_From this moment on._

**oooooooooooooo**

"I love you Samuel, more than I've ever loved anyone."

"I thank the gods every day for giving you to me - I love you so much Kara."

And Sam picked her up and carried her across the threshold of their new, private quarters on Galactica, ready to begin the newest phase of their lives together.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

WHTMT - chapter 4

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Two months had gone by, and while Kara was happier than she'd ever been, Sam was not. It wasn't that he wasn't happy with her - not at all - his eyes sparkled happily ever time he was with her - Kara knew it was because he was feeling bored. And claustrophobic. She had a ton of work to do, and was generally busy at least twelve hours a day, especially since a good half of the pilots had decided to resettle on New Kobol. It wasn't like there was a lot of cylon action - surprisingly, things had been very quiet - but CAP still had to be maintained as did the ships themselves. And with the short-handed maintenance crew that was left, the pilots were doing a lot of the work themselves.

Sam had nothing to do. Literally, nothing. Kara knew he wandered the length of the ship several times daily and spent countless hours working out in the gym, but still, it left a lot of time on his hands. He'd have loved to teach pyramid and form new teams, Kara knew that for certain, but that would require that he leave Galactica, and the one time she'd broached the subject, he'd been very determined that he would not leave her.

So he was unhappy, and Kara didn't know what to do to fix it. It wasn't till they were eating supper with Helo, Storm and Racetrack one night that the solution came to her.

"So, what's it like?" Storm asked.

"Cold. I'm guessing it's winter there - hopefully anyway," Racetrack chuckled, "otherwise those poor settlers are in for a rough life." She'd been the one to deliver a load of medical supplies earlier that day, and had stayed planetside for a few hours to see what it was like.

"Ever consider moving down there?" Helo asked, lifting a forkful of something indecipherable to his mouth.

"Not a chance!" she laughed. "Unless ... there's a hot season. I could go for a little suntanning, swimming in the river ... but this living in a cold tent with nothing but a fire to keep you warm is way too rustic for me."

Kara glanced at Sam, and the look of absolute and utter longing on his face was unmistakable. He looked just like he had as he'd strode across the forest clearing to wrap her in his arms when she'd gone back to Caprica to rescue him. _He wishes he hadn't come, _she thought sadly. _He misses the open air, the sunshine ... the freedom you can't have living in a bucket of bolts in space. _Then it hit her. _He wants to go down there. He wants to settle on New Kobol - the rustic pioneer life is right up his alley, especially considering the life he's led since the first attack. _And a sudden stab of pain shot through her as the realization hit her. _I have to let him go - he can't stay here. This is the wrong place for him. He'll die - if not physically, then emotionally. He'll stop being the man I fell in love with - he's already changing. I have to let him go before living here destroys him._

Suddenly she felt as though she just couldn't stand to sit and listen to them talk about New Kobol anymore. She had to get away. She stood up and backed away from the table, probably more quickly than manners would dictate, which grabbed everyone's attention.

"Are you okay Starbuck?" Helo asked, a concerned look on his face.

She smiled weakly, as if to reassure him. "Yeah, just not feeling so good. I'm going to go lie down."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Sam asked, standing up as well.

"No, finish your dinner." She laid a hand on his arm. "I'll see you later."

She retreated to their room and sat on the bed, actually feeling sick to her stomach now. How could she let him go now, after all she'd gone through to get him back? All the pain and suffering she'd endured before the rescue mission?_ How is it the saying goes? If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you it's yours, if it doesn't, it was never meant to be. _She sniffed, tears forming in her eyes. _If I let him go, he'll never come back here. I'll have lost him forever._

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked suddenly from the doorway.

"Hey, I thought I told you to finish eating," she reprimanded him, pretending to look stern.

"Lost my appetite," he said, shutting the door and coming to sit beside her. "You haven't answered my question."

"You're stubborn, you know that?"

He leaned over and nuzzled her cheek. "It's one of the many things you love about me."

_Ain't that the truth, _she thought ruefully. But thinking of Sam's more endearing qualities only served to sadden her more at the thought of losing him forever.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, making an effort to look her directly in the face.

She shrugged. "Nothing, really ... it's nothing."

Sam fixed her with a long stare. "I thought when we got married that we agreed to be honest with each other," he said seriously. "You're not being honest with me."

Kara looked down at her lap, ashamed, as a tear dropped onto her knee.

He put a finger under her chin and lifted it gently so she was looking at him. "Tell me," he encouraged softly. "Whatever it is, we can work it out together."

"No we can't!" she cried, collapsing forwards and burying her face in his broad chest. His strong, warm arms encircled her and held her tight, one hand beginning to rub her back soothingly.

"It's okay, Kara, it's alright," he murmured, trying to quiet her sobbing. It was the first time he'd ever seen her cry, really cry, and it frightened him just a little. For something to make the strong, tough Kara Thrace cry, it had to be pretty serious.

Eventually the sobs subsided, and she wiped her eyes and sniffled, breath still hitching in her throat. Sam let go of her and wiped her tear-stained cheeks ever-so-gently.

"Now," he began softly, "we need to talk about this, right?"

Kara nodded, trying to hold back the tears she could feel beginning to form behind her eyes again. She took a deep breath. "You're not happy," she said softly.

Sam's brow creased. "Of course I'm happy - I'm with you." He lifted a hand to her face and stroked it gently, pushing back the hair that had escaped her ponytail.

"You're not happy _here," _she repeated, trying to be more specific. "You hate living on Galactica." He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued on. "And I don't blame you one single bit. You have nothing to do here, while all I do is work all the time." She took another deep breath in an attempt to steady her voice, which was threatening to break. "You need space, freedom, fresh air ... a place to play." She smiled weakly at him. "Living here is killing you - you're not the man I met eight months ago," she whispered.

"Kara, I don't know what to say." He sighed. "You're right - there really isn't much for me to do, but being with you is enough for me."

"No it isn't. You're changing. I can see it - I can feel it." She took his hand in hers. "You're losing the part of you that attracted me to you in the first place - your sense of playfulness and fun. You're too serious now."

Sam looked into her eyes for several minutes without answering, and Kara could see the acceptance there - she was right.

"I want you to move to New Kobol. It's the perfect life for you. It would give you the challenge you need - a reason to live." Her voice cracked by the end, and the tears had forced their way into her eyes. She squeezed his hand. "You could put together those pyramid teams you're dying to organize and start a league down there. I'm sure many people would welcome a way to have fun, considering how hard life is for them."

"No! Kara - I won't leave you!" He was fierce, adamant. "I made a promise to stay with you forever, and I intend to keep it!" He was angrier than she'd ever seen him before. Come to think of it, she'd never seen him angry before. He was always easygoing and friendly - perhaps one of the things she'd found most attractive in him.

"Sam you can't stay here," she began, but stood up and started pacing the room angrily. He suddenly stopped and turned back on her. "Do you _want _me to leave? Is that it? You don't want me around anymore?"

Kara stood as well, angry tears running down her cheeks. "No! Of course not! How could you even _think _that?"

"What else am I supposed to think? You want to send me away!"

Kara shrugged. "I'm trying to do what's best for you. Don't you think it'll kill me to let you go?" she added in a whisper.

Sam closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Then why do you _want_ me to go?" he asked, voice heavy with emotion.

"I _don't _ want you to go - gods! I love you so much Sam - I've never been happier. But I can't stand to see you unhappy." The tears were coursing down her cheeks like a waterfall now. "And to know _I'm _the reason ..."

Sam pulled her close and she began a new wet spot on his shirt. He stroked her hair softy till she stopped crying. "I want to be with you Kara - more than anything." He put a hand under her chin and tilted her face upwards to look at him. "It's not your fault sweetheart, I'm here because I _want _to be."

"But you can't stay - I can't be responsible for doing this to you," she whispered. "I love you Samuel, but you have to go." She reached up and stroked the side of his face tenderly. "I can't stand to see you unhappy."

Tears pooled in Sam's eyes. "I can't leave you. I won't."

"You have to."

"Come with me?"

Kara pulled back and gave him a dumbfounded look. "Come with you?"

"Come with me to the planet. I don't want to go anywhere without you. We can build a life together there."

"But my job ... how can I ...?"

"Do they really need _you, _ or just someone to do the work? I'm sure the Admiral could find someone to replace you."

"I ... I ... I don't know Sam, I ..." she stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Do you want to be with me?" he asked.

"Of course I do!"

"Then come with me." He smiled and her heart melted again, as it always did when his charm was directed at her. "We can still be together. Consider it an adventure."

Kara smiled tentatively. "How am I going to break it to the Admiral?"

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

WHTMT - chapter 5

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Kara stood at the Admiral's door, stomach doing wild gymnastics within her. This was easily as bad as the time she'd stood before him and confessed to being responsible for Zack's death. Then, as now, she'd been giving him news he didn't want to hear, and she was terrified he'd turn his back on her. He very nearly had then, and it had been almost as painful as Zack's death itself. He'd become like a father to her in her time on Galactica - the kind of father she'd never had - and really, he'd been all she had. In some ways, he still was, though Lee had become immensely important to her in the time since the attack. _Now I have Sam as well, _she thought, but still she feared the Admiral's disapproval more than anything - even death itself.

She knocked and her heart began an even more rousing samba in her chest.

"Come in," he called.

Kara walked in, arms behind her back, and stood in a respectful pose in front of his desk.

"Kara, it's good to see you," he said warmly, a small smile lighting his face.

"Hello sir," she said tightly.

"Would you like a drink?" he offered, taking off his glasses and rising from behind his desk.

"No, thank you sir," she answered.

"Come, sit," he said, waving his arm towards the couch.

"No, thank you sir," she repeated. "I ... uh ... I ... uh ..." She stopped.

"It's usually best just to come right out and say it," he said gently, very aware that whatever she was here for, it was something he was not going to like. She was _never _this stiff and formal.

She gulped and pulled the sheet of paper from behind her back and handed it to him. "I'm tendering my resignation sir."

Adama's eyes widened and he took a deep breath. He reached for it, took it, and read it, all without speaking.

"Sir," she began, the words tumbling out furiously, "It's not because of you or anything here, it's just that ..."

Adama held up a hand. "I understand." He motioned towards the couch again. "Please, come and sit."

She complied. Adama turned towards her and searched her face. "Are you sure this is what you want to do Kara? Absolutely sure?"

She nodded.

"Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?"

She shook her head.

Adama sighed. If that's how you feel ..."

Tears came into her eyes at the look of sadness on his face. "I don't want to leave you, or Lee ... or Galactica - this is my home."

"But your husband wants to go to the planet, and you want to be with him."

She nodded sadly. "He can't stay here. There's just nothing for him to do - it's killing him to just sit around."

"We could find something for him to do - with all the other people leaving, there are many jobs left open," Adama offered.

"Sam can't stay here. He's not meant for life on a spaceship."

He took her hand. "I don't want to lose you Kara. You and Lee - you're the two people I trust the most. The people I want with me when times get tough."

"I know sir, and I don't want to leave you undefended, but the cylons said they were leaving us alone now ... that's what you told us ... so you don't _really _need me." She tried to make her voice strong, to convince herself as much as him.

"Don't you dare convince yourself of that." He pulled her into a hug. "I always need you, but Samuel needs you more, and it's time I let you go." He pulled back and looked her in the eye. "You'll always be a part of our family - of _my _family. Remember that. If ever you need anything ..."

Kara nodded, tears in her eyes. She willed them to disappear - for some reason she felt uncomfortable crying in front of him. Not that she was _ever _comfortable crying in front of anyone, but Sam was different.

He patted her on the arm affectionately and stood up. "How soon are you going to be leaving us?"

"As soon as possible?" she said softly, phrasing it like a question.

"Well, we're not in dire circumstances, and I think Kat can take over as CAG until we finish shuffling crew members and decide who's going to stay where permanently, so feel free to head out whenever you're ready."

"Thank you sir," she whispered, beginning to choke up again.

"Good luck Kara. Be happy, be healthy and come and visit once in a while, okay?"

"I will." She smiled. "I'm going to go ... pack and get ready ..."

"Go. You've got lots to do. I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you sir. Thank you for everything."

**oooooooooooooooooo**

"So, how'd he take it?" Sam asked, as she rejoined him in their bunkroom.

She burst into tears and walked straight into his arms.

"That good huh?"

"No," she sobbed. "It was fine."

Sam smiled as it dawned on him. He'd witnessed the look on the Admiral's face when they'd returned from Caprica, and the way he'd gently touched her face. He loved her. She was like a daughter to him. And he'd seen the respect and admiration Kara had for him in the relatively short time he'd been on Galactica as well. She loved him like a father. And now they were each having to let go of one another - something that was always hard, but particularly so since the cylon attack when people's bonds to one another became even stronger than they'd been previous to that.

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll come up to visit occasionally." He stroked her hair, pulling out her ponytail and running his fingers through it. "I can't imagine you _not _being in the cockpit somehow."

"It would be like you not playing pyramid," she said, smiling through her tears.

"Exactly."

Kara sniffed and dried her eyes. "Let's get moving and do this before I change my mind."

"Yes sir," Sam saluted mockingly. She slapped him, then chuckled.

"What? You outrank me don't you?"

"Not anymore. The resignation was effective immediately."

"Well, in that case, I'll have to take advantage of my new rise in status."

"Shut up."

"No."

"Tell me again why I married you?" she teased.

"Because I'm too cute to resist."

Kara broke out in laughter. "That you are mister," and she smacked him playfully on the buttocks as she walked past. "Let's get packing."

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kara stood, bags in hand, watching the raptor take off, and wholeheartedly wishing she was back on it. This was definitely going to be an adventure. An adventure in cold, damp and mucky.

"So, where do we go to find ourselves a tent?"

Kara turned slowly to see Sam's beaming face looking around happily.

"You're asking _me_?" she said slowly, voice dripping with sarcasm.

He put an arm around her shoulders and led her towards the 'town'. "Come on, let's see if we can get ourselves a home. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even have a blanket to snuggle under by bedtime."

She threw him a dirty look. "Oh goody. I'm _so _looking forward to that."

"Come on, give it a chance. It's an adventure, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. Keep reminding me though - I may forget and think it's something else."

"You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"You're not the first person to tell me that."

"It's one of the reasons I love you though. Can anyone else say the same?" He kissed her forehead.

Kara didn't say anything, but inside she knew the answer - Lee and his father could.

"I hope you were a boy scout when you were younger," she teased. "Because I'm hopeless at starting fires."

"Just watch me."

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

WHTMT - chapter 6

**oooooooooooooooo**

The next month seemingly flew by and though in some ways it seemed like life hadn't changed since the day they'd arrived, in some ways it was completely different.

As far as creature comforts went, they were still exceptionally poor. They had a tent, a bed, some blankets, a firepit and a few utensils, and aside from a few other sundry items, that was it. But Kara couldn't really complain - even those who'd been there longer than they had, had no more than that.

As far as community camaraderie, the wealth in that was immeasurable. Of the thirty-some thousand people who'd moved to the planet, definite communities had formed. That's not to say that everyone wasn't pleasant and helpful to one another, but after eight months trapped together on their ships, definite ties had been formed. That was even truer for Galactica's former crew, many of whom had been serving together for three or more years. It was the same with Anders' crew - most of them were teammates who'd been together for several years.

So it was only natural for groups to form their own cliques, Galactica's ex-crew and the former C-bucks joining forces thanks to the union between Kara and Samuel. It was a nice, family-type atmosphere, Kara thought, not that Galactica hadn't been, but this was a considerably smaller subset of the entire crew, and because life was much harsher, they needed each other all the more.

Sam was really happy. Life on Galactica had been tolerable, for Kara's sake, but he really hadn't liked it and couldn't understand why people would choose to stay there when they had the option of settling on the planet. This - was much more his style. There was no demand for professional pyramid players here, but Sam had found plenty of work helping to build some of the common buildings - the outhouses, mess tent (which needed to be sturdier than the smaller 'home' tents), and digging wells for a permanent water supply. He'd become quite a fixture in the short while he'd been here, and the wasn't a soul who knew him that didn't like him. In his spare time, he and his buddies played amateur pyramid with anyone who was interested in the makeshift court they'd set up in the village square. Occasionally Kara even joined in, but her old knee injury and more recent cylon-inflicted injuries often prevented her from playing long.

She didn't mind though, as she had plenty to do as well. There was work aplenty in beginning a whole new society from scratch, and everyone was trying to fit in wherever their talents lay. Kara wasn't much of a 'child' person, so she volunteered to work as a farmhand, their delta on the river being wonderfully fertile land. They'd managed to preserve many crops on one of the food-supply ships, and fortunately had a substantial supply of seeds ready for sowing.

Life was hard though, nonetheless - the weather was often uncooperative, but the sense of adventure was everywhere, and people's spirits were generally high.

**ooooooooooooooooo**

Adama sighed as his eyes followed his son, pacing across the room aimlessly. He'd known, almost from day one, that there was something between Lee and Kara - something special, but yet something both of them tried so hard to deny the existence of. Many people thought it was physical - countless rumours had spread in the eight months they'd served together, but Adama knew it ran much deeper than that. It had been tested when Kara married Sam, but had still appeared to hold strong. Or maybe that was just an appearance Lee wanted to keep up. He'd seemed to be fine with it, continuing his apparently clandestine relationship with Dualla, but as Kara'd been on Galactica and Lee had been on Pegasus, it had been difficult to witness their relationship first-hand. Lee's demeanor certainly gave it away now though. As had his reaction when he'd been told about Kara's resignation and plans to move to the planet.

_"She's what?" Lee bellowed, losing all control of his emotions._

_"We have to respect her decision," Adama said quietly, knowing how hard this must be for him. Lee and Kara were as close as any two people he'd ever known, and her leaving like this must feel like a knife if his back._

_"She has no idea what she's doing!" Lee cried out angrily at his father. "You can refuse her, can't you? We need Starbuck here - she's our good luck charm."_

_Adama took a deep breath. "In case you'd forgotten, the cylons _let _us go. They have no quarrel with us - what do we need luck for if we've got no battles to fight?"_

_Lee didn't answer so Adama ploughed on._

_"Kara knows exactly what she's doing. She's following her heart, just like she always has. It's what makes her special."_

_"But we need her. _I _need her," he added in a whisper._

_"She's made her decision. She needs to be wherever her husband is, and he doesn't belong here."_

_"I can understand she wants to be with the person she loves," Lee began, flushing as he thought of her, not Dee, wondering why he was with her if he didn't love her, "but she left, without even saying goodbye." His voice died off towards the end, till he was barely mouthing the words. _

_Adama flinched at the pain, so nakedly revealed in his son's eyes. He'd been right - it was more than physical - it was love. He moved forward and put a comforting hand on Lee's shoulder. _

_"Perhaps she was afraid to say goodbye to you." Lee's face turned up in disbelief and Adama knew exactly what he was thinking - 'Starbuck afraid of anything? Ha!' "Maybe if she had to face you, she wouldn't have been able to go through with it"_

_Lee's eyes filled with tears. "Do you really think so?" he asked softly._

_"I know so," he answered immediately. "Try not to be angry with her."_

"I'll try," Lee had said, but the look in his eyes had belief that. That had been the moment Lee had lost his spark. He'd continued on as any dutiful soldier would, but the life and spirit had gone from him.

"How are things?" Adama asked him.

"Fine," Lee answered, not really paying attention. Everything he looked at reminded him of _her. _Even just _being _with his father reminded him of her - so many times the two of them had stood before him, hoping their combined presence would sway him into agreeing with their request, especially if it was an outrageous one. _Which is usually was, knowing Starbuck, _Lee thought.

"How is Dee doing? Has she adjusted well to Pegasus?"

"She's fine. As well as can be expected." He looked his father straight in the eye. "It's a lot different there."

"I know. I know it's hard for you, but I need people I can trust there."

"I understand," Lee replied dully.

"Are you two still ... involved?" Adama asked carefully.

Lee nodded. Adama noticed his lack of enthusiasm, however. _They're almost like an old married couple, _he thought sadly. _Only together because they don't have anyone else. _ He sighed internally. _If only Lee wasn't so damn in love with Kara ... _

Adama collected himself and forced a businesslike demeanor. "I called you here so we could discuss defensive strategies."

"Defensive strategies? I thought we weren't at war anymore."

"That's what the cylons want us to believe. I'm choosing not to believe them anymore."

"Why now? I mean, you've been listening to Sharon for months and following her advice, why start being distrustful now?"

"I trusted her because _we _were her best chance for survival. I know she wasn't completely honest with me, but she did help us out in a few life or death situations."

"So, why now?"

"Because I have trouble believing that the cylons could have a change of heart so easily. Pardon the expression - it's not like they have hearts. A year ago, they all but annihilated us and seemed bent on the destruction of every human, and suddenly they've changed their tune. Frankly. I don't trust them."

"What makes you think they're going to turn on us again?" Lee asked.

"Just a gut feeling. And I've ignored gut feelings that turned out to be right too many times to allow it to happen again. Three quarters of our people are on that planet - sitting ducks - and I won't allow them to be slaughtered. Not on my watch," he added grimly.

Lee sat down opposite him and pulled the plans his father had drawn up towards him. "So what do we do?"

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

Sam had been watching her narrowly all evening. When he'd arrived back at their tent, she's been acting strange, and it hadn't let up since then. She seemed skittish ... afraid ... unwilling to talk to him, beyond one or two word answers. That was highly unusual for her. The banter he'd loved and fallen in love with, was almost omnipresent now - they teased and flirted with each other constantly, much to the disbelief of those who knew them well and assumed that playfulness would disappear with time.

Well tonight it was decidedly absent, and Sam, being a forthright, open kind of guy, had no hesitation in confronting her on it.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no of course not." She looked over at him and smiled brightly, but it dropped away as soon as her gaze went elsewhere.

"There's something wrong." This time it wasn't a question.

"Really, everything's fine."

His voice took on a harsh quality - one she'd never heard before. "Don't lie to me Kara. I know you better than that." A pause. "Tell me what's wrong."

Her heart began to pound and her palms grew sweaty. Sam stood up and walked over to her, gently lifting her chin with a finger so she was looking straight up at him. "Kara ..."

"I'm late," she blurted out. His brow furrowed in confusion. "My period. It's over a week late." She watched the change in his face as the knowledge dawned on him.

"You mean ... you're pregnant?" There was a hopeful tone to his voice now.

"I don't know. I suppose it's possible - but I thought ... at the farm ... _they _took out ..." She stopped, unable to continue as tears flooded her eyes.

Sam took her in his arms and held her tightly, chin resting on top of her head.

"I didn't think I could have children," she whispered into his chest.

"What if you can?" he asked softly. "What if you are ... if we are?"

She pulled away to look up at him, and he was shocked at how young and vulnerable she looked - nothing like the strong-willed unbeatable woman he was used to.

"I never used to want to have children, ever. Until I didn't think I could," she whispered. "Until I met you."

Sam pulled her close again. "We'll find the doc tomorrow and get him to test you so we know for sure."

"And if we are ...?"

"Then we'll thank any and every god in existence for our miracle child."

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

WHTMH - chapter 7

Keep in mind, this is now AU, though I will be trying to use some elements from the actual episodes. 

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Sam had a huge grin on his face as the doc gave them the good news. Kara's was fairly large as well, but inside she was also terrified. _Me, a mother? Gods! I hope the gods know what they're doing here. Given _my _experience growing up, I shouldn't even be allowed _near _children, let alone having one myself._

"You're going to need to watch your diet very carefully Captain," Cottle began, interrupting her thoughts.

"Um doc ... I'm not in the military anymore," she said quickly, before he could continue.

"I know that," he answered gruffly. "But I don't have anything else to call you. I don't do first names."

"You could always call me Thrace," she suggested.

"Or Anders," Sam put in, grinning widely.

Kara punched his arm lightly. "Yeah, and then people would be getting us mixed up. Everyone still calls _you _Anders."

"Well, soon it'll be easy - you'll be the 'fat Anders'," he smirked.

Kara's mouth dropped open, and she gave him a look. THE look.

"Looks like someone will be sleeping on the proverbial couch tonight," Cottle added, giving Sam a meaningful look.

He leaned over towards Cottle and spoke quickly, but not so quietly that Kara couldn't hear. "Fighting's good - gives us a chance to make up." He winked.

"Isn't that how you got into this situation in the first place?" Cottle asked dryly. "As I was saying," he continued on, as if he hadn't been interrupted, "you'll have to make sure you get extra helpings of fruit and vegetables and that stuff they're passing off as milk. I'll give you a written authorization for that. I'm headed to Galactica in a few days, so I'll pick you up some vitamins as well. Now you missy," Kara bristled at the term. "Take it easy. Not that you'll listen to me, never have yet, but you," he pointed at Sam, "make her get some rest and take it easy."

"Will do sir," Sam said, mock saluting, then broke into a violent fit of coughing that had him doubled over. He stopped a few minutes later, and spat into the sand. Cottle didn't miss the fact that the blob of mucous was red.

"Maybe I'd best take a look at you too," he suggested.

Sam waved it off. "It's nothing. Just a little cough."

"Since you're here anyway ..." He pulled out his stethoscope.

"Really, I'm fine, honest." He began to cough again and Kara had to slap him on the back as he very nearly began to choke.

"Look at him," she mouthed silently to Cottle, nodding slightly.

"Sit down Mr. Anders and let me be the judge will you? Last time I checked, I was the one with the credentials."

"Fine." Sam shrugged and sat in the chair recently vacated by Kara.

Cottle looked him over and listened to his lungs. "Hmmm," he murmured. Kara gave Sam a worried look but he just cocked his head sideways at her.

"Hmm. Trace of pneumonia. Had this cough long?"

Sam shrugged again. "Not really."

At the same time kara answered. "Three or four weeks." Sam gave her a dirty look.

"Well, it looks like the two of you are going to have to take care of each other then. No hard work, plenty of bed rest, and keep warm. Well, as warm as you can," he amended, remembering what spartan living conditions they had. "I'll bring back some antibiotics with the vitamins. They're being stored on Pegasus at the moment, so I'll have to make a trip over there while I'm on Galactica. In a couple of weeks you should be a new man."

"Aw that's too bad, I kind of liked the old one," Kara teased, putting an arm around Sam's neck.

Cottle rolled his eyes. "Get out of here before you make me sick. Go on."

Sam took Kara's hand and they left the med tent both smiling happily in anticipation of the future.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooo**

It turned out that Cottle's trip to Galactica ended up being rather delayed. First there were malfunctions with the Raptors, pushing back the routine delivery of supplies, and then one medical emergency after another had taken his attention. Broken bones, Cally's baby had decided it was time to come, and then little Isis had developed some sort of mysterious ailment that had him baffled and virtually refusing to leave her side.

So Kara's vitamins and Sam's drugs had had to wait. Kara was fine without the vitamins, but the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and with it Sam's pneumonia. He hated to admit it but he could hardly move and every breath pained him dreadfully. He was, of course, reluctant to share this with Kara, even though he was a big fan of openness and honesty between the two, because he felt, though it was somewhat old-fashioned, that it was his job as the man to protect and care for his wife and unborn child.

So he dutifully continued on, pretending everything was fine. Till a few days later, when Sav, his former teammate, pulled him into the pyramid court and insisted he join them since he hadn't played in so long. He knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn't refuse, so he gave it a try. It was like walking through lead and breathing water. Nothing in his life had been more painful. He was on the verge of quitting and telling the guys he'd had enough, when he heard her.

"Sam, you idiot!" Kara was stalking towards him, a murderous look on her face.

Suddenly the ball came flashing past his surprised face and a head thwacked into his already hideously painful lungs. Sam blacked out almost immediately. Kara rushed towards him, the look on her face changing to worried concern. He was still breathing - thank the gods! But barely. The air rasped in and out and he sounded like each breath was going to be his last.

"Help me Sav! Get him back to our tent." And, like the family they were, all the players helped him get to bed. Kara began wiping his hot, feverish forehead with a cold cloth, willing him to wake up. "Go find the doc," she ordered, voice shaking, and they all took off immediately, splitting up for better coverage.

When an hour had gone by and still no one was able to find him, Kara decided more drastic action needed to be taken. She left one of the others with Sam and headed purposefully, if fearfully, to the Raptor that had become their permanent communications station. She punched the controls like a pro, though she hadn't touched them in months, and took a deep breath, waiting for Pegasus to answer.

"Pegasus here, who am I speaking with?" _Frak, it was Dualla. Of all the people ..._Kara had no beef directly with Dee, but she knew that leaving without saying goodbye to Lee would have hurt him dreadfully, and now that she was gone, Dee was the person he was closest to. And likely the one he'd confide his feelings in. So it was probable that Dee would be pissed at her as well for hurting Lee.

"It's Kara. May I speak to Lee please?" She tried her hardest to keep her voice steady.

"Oh, it's you. I'll see if he's available." Her voice had definitely cooled off after hearing Kara.

Kara waited. And waited ... and waited, wondering if Dee was leaving her hanging on purpose. Finally there was a sound - someone breathing.

"What do you want?" Lee asked quietly. So, she told him who it was.

"I need a favour," she went on, remembering Sam's desperate need and swallowing her pride. It didn't matter that he was angry with her, she had to do this. To save Sam.

"Is that right?" The words cut like a knife. She'd always felt sorry when Lee used that tone on anyone else, and now she was feeling it first hand. She took a deep breath however, and ploughed on.

"Anders is sick ... he has pneumonia Lee. Cottle said he'd be bringing medication down for him, but he's been too busy and now we can't find him."

"So what do you want _me _to do?"

"I hear you've got all the meds on your ship. Could you send some down? Please?" she begged.

"If Cottle said he would, then he will."

Kara's temper flared and her voice raised. "But when?"

"I'm sure he'll get to it soon." Lee's voice was like ice. "Now if that's all ..."

"Couldn't you send a Raptor down? Even a Viper? It would only take one person ..."

Lee interrupted. "There's a supply run going down in a few days."

"He may not _have _that long!" Kara blazed.

"Not my problem. I'm a busy person and I need to go now. Nice talking to you," he added sarcastically.

A click told Kara he'd cut the connection. Fury welled within her. _Bastard!_

_**TBC**_


	9. Chapter 9

WHTMT - chapter 8

**oooooooooooooooo**

The cylons attacked the next day. The sky began to darken at noon, and some were saying it was an eclipse. Though what was eclipsing what wasn't totally clear, since astronomy wasn't one of the top priorities of the Baltar administration. Not that much was really; it seemed the man spent most of his days and nights in a drunken stupor with one or two of the 'ladies' that had been not-so-affectionately dubbed 'Baltar's harem.' Those on the battlestars probably had more ideas about the planets, moons, and other bodies in the heavens, but that information never filtered down to the surface. A distinct rift had grown between the two factions - planet dwellers and ship dwellers - and cooperation was getting harder and harder to come by.

Those on the surface weren't fooled long though, as cylon raiders and heavy raiders began to descend from the dark sky. It cleared as the basestars jumped away , and Kara's heart sank down to her toes as she realized that Galactica and Pegasus had likely jumped away and left them. Either that or the cylons had caught them by surprise and blown them out of the sky, but as she hadn't seen or heard any explosions, she figured they'd gone instead.

Sam stood beside her just inside the tent, leaning heavily on her for support. He scanned the sky, seeing the clear blue and sunshine and sighed. "No reinforcements huh? I guess we're on our own."

"Who's this 'we' you speak of? You're headed back to bed mister."

"Like hell," he said angrily, and erupted in a violent fit of coughing. "I'm _not _leaving you to deal with them alone. I didn't on Caprica and I won't here."

"In case you hadn't noticed, there are thirty thousand other people here. I'll hardly be alone. And you - you can hardly stand. What good are you going to be if we have to fight?"

"If," he spat disgustedly. "You mean _when._ And I can still hold a gun. As long as there's breath in me I will protect you and our baby. Don't ever doubt that."

Kara smiled up at him lovingly and squeezed him hard. He began to cough again and Kara winced apologetically.

"Anyway," he began, once the coughing subsided, "if I can survive you, I can survive them."

"Touche," she replied, squeezing gently this time and kissing his cheek.

After getting him back to bed, she headed out to see what was going on first hand. The toasters were marching in formation down the 'main' street of New Caprica City, as it had been named, and many of Kara and Sam's neighbours stood outside their tents watching, expressions of extreme fear on their faces as they held their loved ones close.

Kara sidestepped her way among them till she reached the school tent where Roslin stood, arms around her chest protectively, watching the cylons with barely concealed hatred in her eyes.

"Laura," she murmured, still unused to using the former President's first name, but forcing herself to anyway.

"I've waited for this day," Roslin said quietly. "I always felt they let us go too easily. The question is, what do they want?"

"That is the question isn't it?" Kara said dryly. "They could have nuked us easily if they wanted us dead. So why didn't they?"

"Obviously they have a different plan now."

Kara shuddered at Roslin's words, remembering the farms on Caprica and vividly recalling Sharon's words - 'you're special Kara. You have a destiny.' She'd hoped that escaping Caprica had changed that destiny, and that the cylons willingly letting them go had meant her destiny had changed, but perhaps it had merely been put on hold for a time.

"Well I have a plan too," she said resolutely, despite her fears.

"I knew you would." Roslin smiled.

"I'm going to head to the raptor. Try to contact one of the ships."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but don't you think the cylons will be monitoring all frequencies to make sure we _don't _call for help?"

Kara smiled. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that they don't know about. I'm more worried that the ships are gone, to be honest."

"Gone? They wouldn't ..."

"I spotted five basestars before they jumped. That must be nearly the entire cylon fleet. Galactica and Pegasus are no match for that, even _with _a full crew complement. If I were them I'd have jumped away, and I'm generally not the type to flee from a fight. The Admiral will do what's best for his crews and for the civilian ships still out there. I'll try to contact them, but I don't hold out much hope."

"Good luck Captain ... Kara," Roslin called after her. Kara smiled. She wasn't the only one having trouble adjusting to civilian life it seemed.

**oooooooooooooooo**

Kara threw down the equipment in disgust. She'd tried every secret code she knew, even one _only _Lee would know, as she'd only ever used it once before, but to no avail. There was no one there to answer.

"Time for plan B Thrace. Come on, think." But nothing came to her, short of visiting the President and finding out what the frak was going on.

"Well, they say the best defense is a good offence, so here goes ..." she murmured to herself, as she gingerly picked her way through the tent community, trying not to attract the attention of any toasters. For once she was glad of the nondescript grey clothes that made her blend into the crowds.

When she arrived at Colonial One - still the home and office of the President, she was disheartened to see the place crawling with centurions. That ended any chance of her sneaking in unawares. _Might as well try the front door, _she thought, heading purposefully in that direction, hoping they'd let her through since she was unarmed.

A cylon stopped her and searched her but wouldn't let her pass.

"I have an appointment to see the President," she lied. Still no help. Did those stupid machines understand english?

"I need to go in there. Let me through," she demanded, sounding braver than she felt.

"Let her through," a familiar voice said, floating through the open doorway. Immediately the centurion moved aside to let her through.

She stopped dead as she entered the President's study. He was there, of course, looking much the worse for wear as usual, but there were also three humanoid cylons; a copy of the 'Shelly' one from Galactica, a copy of Doral, the one who'd blown himself up, and a copy of Boomer - Sharon, who'd been one of Kara's best friends. Her blood ran cold.

"What do you want with us?" she blurted out suddenly.

"What makes you think we want something?" the blonde one asked, in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Humans are so distrustful."

"Should we have a reason not to be?" Kara demanded. "After what you did to us?"

The blonde one tsk tsked. "Holding grudges too."

"Cut the 'we're superior to you' crap and tell us what you want."

Baltar winced at Kara's directness. It was definitely not his way. "Now now ... Kara ... let's try being polite to our guests, shall we?" he piped up, finally joining the conversation.

"Guests?" Kara spat. "Try murderers. Executioners perhaps, but not guests."

"We've changed," Sharon interrupted in a quiet voice. "Some of us have seen the goodness of humans, and we've convinced the others that love is better than war."

"You'll pardon me for having trouble believing that." Kara crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant pose.

"We let Anders live."

"What?" Kara exploded, eyes wide.

"On Caprica. We had him but we let him go, to show that we want peace."

Kara's blood froze again at the thought that Sam had been captured, and it could easily have been too late by the time she'd returned to rescue him. She lowered her arms protectively over her belly, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Sharon.

"We're here to combine our societies. To learn to live together in peace again. To make a better society out of the ashes of our civilizations."

"I'm not sure having garrisons of centurions marching in the streets is going to promote harmony," Kara said dryly.

"We needed to show a military presence," Doral interjected. "If only a few of us showed up, you'd have taken revenge. It's human nature. As our peoples integrate, the military presence will subside."

"There will be people firmly against this you know," Kara warned. "They will form a resistance to fight peace with you."

"Will you be among them?" Sharon asked softly.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. Generally she would have said yes on principle alone, but the fact that Sam was dying, that she was pregnant, put a different spin on things. Maybe peace _was _the way to go - the way to make sure they didn't lose any more people. Humanity was scarcely surviving already; they didn't need to lose more good people while fighting the inevitable.

"Go back and tell them. They need to hear it from you - from other humans. They won't trust us, but if their own people tell them we come in peace, maybe they'll choose not to fight."

"Yeah, somehow I doubt that," Kara said, eyebrows raising in skepticism. "I don't think you understand humans very well."

"Try. Please?" Sharon pleaded, and Kara could see the desperation in her eyes. _She's a toaster Thrace, she doesn't have emotions, _she reminded herself. _Just because she looks like your friend doesn't mean she is._

"Fine. I'll go, but I wouldn't expect success if I were you," she said unwillingly, heading for the door.

"You'd better hope you're successful," Doral warned. Our people are under orders not to hurt you, but that may change if you don't cooperate."

Kara spun around and glared at him defiantly before storming out.

Sharon sighed disgustedly. "I _told _you not to threaten her. That's the worst thing you can do to Starbuck. You've made an enemy for life now."

"She liked me before?" he asked sarcastically.

"You know what I mean. You've fired the desire to fight in her. Now she'll rally the others against us."

He stepped forward, into her personal space. "Let her try. She'll see what a mistake that is."

"She can't be harmed, you know that," Six put in suddenly. "God's plan _must _be followed."

"She can be stopped without being harmed. The same won't be said of her friends though."

"I thought you said you were here in peace. No more war ... love and harmony and all that sort of thing," Baltar protested, appalled at the conversation he was listening to.

Six chuckled. "That's one of the things I've always loved about you. You're so innocent."

**TBC**

**A/N : **This story has taken on a life of it's own, which is not to say it won't end up where I've always planned it will, but it seems there will be a bit more to it than I originally intended. This chapter, and perhaps the next few, may end up being more exposition of the story than the 'romance' aspect of the story. Please stick with it though, as the relationship triangle is still a major portion of the story and will return again soon. I promise!

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed so far - I appreciate the comments.


	10. Chapter 10

WHTMT - chapter 9

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Nearly a dozen people were crammed into Kara and Sam's tent, listening to her report on the cylon situation. Tyrol, Cally, Roslin and several of Sam's closest friends were among them.

"We have to fight," Jackson said firmly when Kara was done. There were many nods of assent.

"I agree. We can't let them do this to us _again,_" Tyrol said, shaking his fist angrily.

"But Galen ..." Cally protested, gently rocking baby Matthew, only two days old.

He put his arm around her shoulder. "You know we have no choice. Our son needs to grow up to be free, not having the cylons always at his back. We need to show them once and for all that we mean business."

"Can you imagine? Human/cylon babies? If they want us to integrate societies you know it isn't going to be long before they're taking our women and creating hybrids." The man who'd spoken was one of the Chief's former mechanics - he couldn't have known about the farms on Caprica - but Kara shuddered at the memory.

Sam too, looked at her as the man spoke and shuddered sympathetically along with her. He knew how badly she'd been affected by what she'd seen and what had nearly happened to her, and remembered the death pact they'd made when she'd returned to Caprica to rescue him. Fortunately they hadn't had to go through with it, though Sam would have, if need be. There were some fates worse than death - especially for women.

"So what are we going to do?" Jackson asked, turning instinctively to Sam, who merely coughed, unable to speak.

"Can't you see he's not up to it?" Kara asked a little defensively, walking over to sit beside him. He took her hand and squeezed it.

"So Captain ... what's the deal?" Tyrol asked, turning to Kara for leadership.

She sighed. "I don't know."

Many voices piped up, quite a few of the C-bucks among them encouraging her on.

"If anyone can lead us, you can. Sam trusted you, I'll trust you." Sam nodded in appreciation of his friends' support.

"Come on Captain - you've always been a good leader in battle - the other pilots may have bitched about you sometimes, but you always got the job done, and almost always brought everyone home alive." Tyrol gave her a small smile.

"On the ground as well - she and Sam were an unstoppable combination."

Sam squeezed Kara's hand, and she turned to face him, tears filling her eyes.

"I had nothing to lose before," she whispered, other hand protectively covering her stomach.

Cally, motherly instincts kicking in, was the first to realize. "Are you ..." she began, but stopped as both Kara and Sam nodded.

Roslin smiled. "Well, we don't want to force you into anything, but we certainly could benefit from your advice. You've shown you can outsmart the cylons on more than one occasion. If you can help with the planning, the rest of us will take care of the execution, won't we?" She looked around the tent for approval.

Tyrol nodded firmly. "Absolutely. I'll go round up as many people as I can whom I know we can trust."

"Be careful?" Cally implored. Tyrol smiled and left without answering.

"Home base will have to be the school tent," Kara stated. "Ours is too small and Sam needs privacy."

Roslin nodded. "That works."

"Jackson - gather up the rest of the Bucks and let them know what's happening. Don't come to home base yet, it'll be too conspicuous." Her voice lowered, as though she were talking to herself. "And I need time to come up with a plan."

"Yes sir," Jackson said, heading out.

Kara smiled ruefully. "It's been a while since I heard that."

Roslin put a gentle hand on Kara's shoulder. "You miss it, don't you?"

"A little," Kara confessed, squeezing Sam's hand as he coughed. "I'll be at the base shortly to begin planning. We just need a few minutes ..." She trailed off, looking lovingly into Sam's eyes.

The others got the hint and left post haste.

"I don't want to do this - not without you," she said softly, stroking his hand with her thumb.

"You have to," he rasped, coughing again. "Chief was right - our baby deserves to be safe and have a good life. Just promise me you won't put yourself in danger."

"I promise," she whispered. "I'll be here most of the time anyway. Someone has to take care of you." She smiled weakly.

"Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine." He burst into a coughing fit that nearly had him choking, and Kara knew. It was already too late. She was going to lose him, no matter what she did. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged him and patted him on the back.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"I still don't like it," Lee growled.

"It was _your _suggestion," Helo reminded him. "Sir," he added, as an afterthought.

The Commanders and their acting XO's were meeting on Galactica now that they'd jumped away safely and appeared not to have been followed. It was a tense meeting.

Lee glared at Helo, and Dee shuddered at the open hostility in his face.

"I'm well aware of that, but it doesn't mean I _like _leaving all of those people behind."

"None of us like it Commander, but as you pointed out, it was a necessity; we dared not risk waiting for them to fire on us to find out just how overpowered we were," Adama said, playing the diplomat as much as he could. It wasn't a role he was comfortable with, but he'd watched Laura Roslin for nearly a year and had taken a few lessons from her.

"Consider how defenceless _they _are though. A few guns ... some ex-soldiers ... for all we know the cylons could have blown that entire rock out of existence before our people were aware there was any danger," Lee said, frustration evident in his tone of voice.

"Let's think positively shall we? We're going to assume the cylons haven't harmed them and figure out a plan to go back. We need to be prepared in case they've turned hostile again. Suggestions anyone?" Adama moved some star charts out of the way and put the scale models onto the war table.

Lee could immediately see a way but a little voice in his head kept finding flaws. _It's a perfect plan - by the book. The cylons will see right through it. You need to think out of the box Lee. _The voice sounded suspiciously like Kara.

The thought of her made his heart sink down to his toes. He'd likely never see her again, never talk to her, never touch her. _I'll never get another 'Kara' hug - gods, how will I survive? _And while sadness enveloped him at the thought of leaving her behind to die with the others, shame began to flush his cheeks as he remembered how he'd treated her the last time they'd spoken. _She asked me for help - and I turned her down. My gods, what is wrong with me?_

"Commander, something wrong?" Adama asked, always acutely aware of his son's change in moods.

"No, nothing sir. Just thinking. Trying to think like Starbuck."

"I wish we had her with us now," Adama admitted. "She could always be counted on to come up with some incredibly wild-sounding plan that was just what we needed."

_Amen to that, _Lee thought, sighing. He wished she was here too. Not that he'd ever confess it in front of the others, but he always felt more secure knowing Starbuck was on their side. She could always be counted on to save people's asses and get the job done. Generally, with as few words as possible too. Apollo and Starbuck worked together like a well-oiled machine, always fitting into each other's plans instinctively. Lee felt completely lost inside at the thought of losing her forever. Fighting with her, not speaking to her ... that was one thing, but never having the chance to make up was something he could barely stand the thought of.

"I'm still waiting for suggestions," Adama prompted.

"Well, here's a thought," Helo began, and outlined his plan. When he was done, everyone was silent for a moment, processing it, until an idea popped into Lee's head like a gift from the gods.

"That's good," he said, "but what if we were to ..." And he shared his ideas, which consisted of Helo's original plan with a few tweaks and backups.

"Yes, yes, and then we do this," Adama said, obviously getting excited at the prospect, pushing models over the table. "The cylons will never see _this _coming." He smiled in satisfaction. "Good work people. We begin in twelve hours, after we've had time to prep our ships and brief our people."

_I hope it isn't too late by then, _Lee thought with a shudder.

"You're dismissed. Commander, a word please?"

"Yes sir," Lee said, nodding at Dee to go ahead with Helo. He sighed. He had a feeling the old man wanted to talk about something Lee didn't. Something personal.

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

"It's a good plan," Roslin said, nodding. "But do you think it'll work? It seems pretty risky to me."

"Well, that's why we have plan B. The cylons fall for plan A and think they have us, and then we hit them with something else."

"I like the way you think." Roslin smiled her approval. She'd been impressed at Kara's ability to plan during the tylium fuel station mission and knew she wouldn't let them down now.

Kara smirked, then her face grew serious again. "The difficult part is to find volunteers for the most dangerous part."

"I'm willing. And so are the others." Jackson stood at the tent's entrance. "Freedom is worth risking your life for. And if we die in the process - well, it's better than never trying at all."

"Thank you," Kara said, blinking as the tears threatened again. When did she become so emotional? _Must be those hormones running amock in my body - causing me to act crazy! _ "I'm going to put you in charge of the Buck's group then. Here's the plan ..."

Jackson bent his head over the table and looked as Kara and Roslin outlined their basic plan.

"Sounds good to me. We'll manage, don't worry about us. We survived eight months on Caprica, we can do this."

"I have no doubt." Kara smiled. "We begin in two hours. I need a bit of time to find some equipment. If you see the Chief, send him this way. I'm going to need his help with rigging this stuff."

"Will do," Jackson said, nodding as he left the tent.

"You didn't tell him about the backup plan?" Roslin queried.

"It's on a need to know basis. And he doesn't need to know," Kara said grimly. "Yet."

Roslin gave her a strange smile. "That sounds a lot like someone else I know."

Kara smiled back. "I learned from the best." They exchanged a sad look, each knowing what the other was thinking. "I need to get to work. Lots to do in the next two hours."

"Good luck ... Kara."

Kara smiled weakly at her before leaving the tent. _We're surely going to need it, _ she thought ruefully. _This is going to be a lot tougher than anyone expects. Gods, I wish Lee were here ... it's always so much easier when I have him on my side ..._

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

WHTMT - chapter 10

**oooooooooooooooo**

Things didn't go quite according to plan - the plan had been good, and they _did _achieve a fair amount of damage, but it was as if the cylons expected them to revolt and for every attack they had a counter attack ready. Nonetheless, they kept at it, chipping away at the enemy's forces bit by bit. All pretenses of friendship were gone and the humanoid cylons, few of them though there be, were now openly hostile.

"I _told _you not to antagonize her," Sharon reprimanded Doral, several weeks after the fighting had begun.

"And I told _you _she'd regret it," he answered forcefully, picking up a weapon and checking to see that it was loaded.

"You can't hurt her," she said, a note of panic in her voice.

"I won't," he said over his shoulder as he left the room. "Physically anyway," he murmured smiling evilly.

He found his way to Kara and Sam's tent, holding his gun out towards all who appeared to be standing in his way. He stopped short and peeked through the crack. Good, she was there. He watched as she dipped a cloth in a basin of water, wrung it out and laid it across Sam's forehead. His face was very red and his breathing terribly laboured. Doral, no expert on human physiology by any means, was still able to tell that it wasn't going to be long for him. That was too bad - his death wasn't going to shock her as much as he'd hoped it would.

He strode into the tent, shutting the flap behind him. Sam's eyes widened in surprise and fear - he'd seen plenty of this model during his raids on Caprica City. Kara turned quickly to see what he was looking at.

"You!" she exploded. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Good choice of words Starbuck," he complimented, voice oily as always.

"I'm _not _Starbuck anymore."

"Doesn't matter really. How does that human phrase go? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

"You have time to be reading human poetry?" she asked sarcastically.

He shrugged. "It's what I do when I'm not committing genocide. Speaking of which ..."

Kara's heart began to pound with fear. "What do you want?" she asked, trepidation obvious in her voice. She held Sam's hand and he squeezed back tightly.

"I understand you're behind this little insurrection." He stepped forward a couple of paces and smiled. "And I intend to see you pay for that mistake." He drew his gun and raised it, aiming it directly at her chest.

Sam struggled to get up, coughing and choking as he yelled, "No!"

"Doral laughed and pointed the gun down at the ground. "I can't kill you Kara. You're special, remember? You have a destiny," he said carefully, mimicking Sharon's tone.

Kara's forehead screwed up in a confused expression. "Then why ..." she began.

"Because I like to torment you." He smiled, raised the gun, pointed it at Sam's chest and fired.

Kara's eyes widened in shock and she screamed as it suddenly sunk in. He'd killed Sam. She looked over at him; he was already dead. There was no way he couldn't be - there was a huge hole where his chest had been, and she could see the bloody bedclothes through it. Waves of nausea rolled through her, but she clutched him tightly, twining her fingers in his hair and kissing his forehead as the tears coursed down her cheeks like a waterfall. She whispered his name over and over as though repetition could bring him back somehow.

Doral watched her as he reholstered his gun and advanced towards her. "It's time to fulfill your destiny," he said matter-of-factly, the killing already forgotten.

Kara straightened up slowly to look at him levelly. Her cheeks were wet but she had a determined look in her eye. "I'm not going anywhere with _you," _she spat venomously, taking a step backwards.

"Oh, I think you are," he said softly, continuing to draw closer to her. "I'll drag you if I have to."

"The only way you'll take me is if I'm dead," she warned, muscles taut and ready to fight.

"Sorry, I can't do that," he said, shaking his head sorrowfully. "But no one ever said I couldn't _hurt _you." His hands closed over her throat suddenly, cutting off her air.

A shot rang out and the next thing she knew, she was lying on her back on the ground, the cylon's bloody body draped over hers. His fingers were still locked around her throat, and though it wasn't quite choking her, it was difficult to breathe. She scrambled to extricate herself and quickly stood up. Roslin stood there, gun in hand, still pointed in her direction. Her grey eyes were glazed over and she appeared not to notice when Kara carefully pulled the gun out of her hand. Then her head turned and she looked Kara full in the face.

"You looked like you needed help," she said quietly.

"I did," Kara said shakily. "Thanks."

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Lee felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest. His eyes opened to see Dee straddled across him, naked and glistening with sweat.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked solicitously. She touched his gunshot wound gingerly.

Lee shrugged. "I guess. It still hurts sometimes." But he knew inside he was lying. It _wasn't _his wound that had hurt. He'd felt a sudden sharpness and loss of breath and in his head he'd seen a sudden vision of Kara, a look of fear and desperation on her face. He _knew _what the pain was - she was suffering, hurting, and the bond that had always bound them together, against their will sometimes, had connected them for a second so Lee was able to feel her pain. It didn't make any sense logically, but every other time she'd been in trouble or hurting, he'd been able to sense it.

Dee continued on, touching all of Lee's sensitive spots and bringing him back to readiness for her. He lay, passive as always, letting her take charge. For some reason he'd never felt the need to be in control when they made love. Maybe it was because he didn't feel the same animal passion for her that he'd felt for other women, _namely Kara, _his subconscious nudged him. Dee seemed to always want to be on top, or some other position that gave her power over him. _Maybe she feels the need to dominate me - to prove that I'm hers, _he thought suddenly. Then rational though deserted him as he felt himself drawn to the edge.

Later, as they lay together for a few brief moments before he had to get back to duty, he wondered why he and Dee were still together. It wasn't passion - that much he'd admitted to himself long ago. It wasn't friendship - they had little in common and rarely talked about much other than work. So why? Why be with someone you don't really care all that much about? _Because it's better than being alone. And the thought that _she _isn't alone makes me feel like I need to be with someone. It can't be her ... so it may as well be Dee._ He felt bad for using Dee like that, but he just couldn't help himself. Here it was, a year later and even after all that had happened between them he still couldn't stop thinking about her.

He got out of bed quickly and began to dress.

"What's the hurry?" Dee drawled, sitting up, holding the sheet across her chest.

"I've got work to do," he said shortly.

"You're not due back in CIC yet are you?" she asked.

"No, but I have a feeling."

"What kind of feeling?"

"Just a feeling that I need to be there. A feeling that something's terribly wrong."

Dee stood up and came to put her arms around him. Lee unwrapped them and walked away from her. "I have to go."

"What do you mean by a 'feeling'?" she asked.

Lee looked down into her eyes. "I can't explain it. I just have this gut feeling that we're in trouble and I need to go check it out. Okay?"

"Okay," she said, giving him a small smile. "I'll see you there shortly."

As Lee strode the familiar yet unfamiliar corridors, he berated himself for taking time for pleasure. He should be _here _working, making sure that everything that could be done was being done. They needed to get back to that planet to save those people. _To save her, you mean, _his subconscious said, needling him again. Why the heck couldn't his stupid subconscious leave him alone?

"Report," he said brusquely as he entered CIC.

"There's some strange activity on dradis sir," the officer said.

"Put me through to Galactica," he demanded.

"Galactica here," he heard moments later.

"This is Pegasus actual," he said, waiting to hear his father's voice.

"Seems they're here again." Adama was short with words, as usual.

"Yeah, I see them too," Lee said. "Now what?" The cylons had found them numerous times after that first jump, and despite their best-laid plans, they had had to continue running. Returning to the planet hadn't been an option at this point, and Lee was beginning to understand just how frustrated Kara had been after she'd promised Anders to return for him and months had gone by without her being able to keep that promise. Lee hadn't promised anyone he'd return other than himself, but so far almost four weeks had gone by and they still hadn't managed to evade the cylons. They'd dwindled in strength to three basestars; assumedly they'd left the other two in orbit around the planet, but two partially-manned battlestars, one over fifty years old, were no match for three basestars with hundreds of cylon raiders. They barely had enough pilots between the two ships to keep a CAP in the air, let alone have spare pilots to man enough vipers to wipe out the raiders.

"We follow the previous plan."

Lee huffed. "When are we going to stop running? We _have _to fight them eventually."

"You got a plan? I'm listening."

"Not yet. Give me a few minutes."

"In the meantime, jump to escape coordinates. We'll rendezvous there and rethink the plan. Galactica actual out."

Lee sighed as he gave the order to jump. Yet again they were running - further and further away. Would he ever be able to keep his promise to rescue Kara?

**oooooooooooooooooo**

They all stood around Sam's grave. For some unexplained reason, the cylons had left them completely alone as they'd removed his body, taken it out of the city to the graveyard and dug the hole. He'd been lowered in, Kara weeping silent tears all the while, and now Tyrol and Jackson threw their shovels to the ground and knelt with the rest.

Kara wiped her eyes and came forward, pressing a rough wooden cross at the foot of the grave. "Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer. Take the soul of your son Samuel and let him rest peacefully with you for the rest of his days." She sniffed as she removed the necklace from around her neck and placed it on the cross. It was her dogtag - the one she'd given him before leaving Caprica the first time. After his death, she'd taken it off him and put it around her own neck, trying to keep something of him close. She'd never had a wedding ring - they didn't have such luxuries here, nor did she have any other reminder of him, other than the baby growing in her belly. It was too small to be really noticeable yet though, and much too small for her to feel any movements. That would come in time, but in the meanwhile, she'd wanted something tangible of his to remember him by. She knelt down beside the cross and began to weep.

Most of the people who'd come to the funeral turned and left, knowing Kara needed to be alone with her grief. Roslin was the only one who stayed, far enough back for Kara to feel that she had privacy, but close enough for her to know that _someone _was there, and caring for her. She wasn't totally alone.

After her tears subsided, she stood up, wiped her eyes on the arm of her sweater and headed over to Roslin's side.

Laura put an arm around her shoulders to give her comfort and strength. "Now what do we do?" she asked softly.

Kara stared forward as she answered, face as if turned to stone. "We do what we always do. Keep fighting till we can't."

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

WHTMT - chapter 11

**ooooooooooooooooo**

"Get your act together or get the frak off my ship!" Lee raged, eyes flashing fire at the pilot who'd damaged his viper in the latest training exercises.

"Yes sir," the pilot said, paling, saluting briefly before almost running out of the ready room.

The other pilots looked at Lee with fear in their eyes. Their commander, normally such an easygoing guy, had been riding their asses hard for the past couple of weeks, and they weren't happy about it.

"Sir," one of them ventured. "It wasn't Spike's fault that his ship ..."

"Doesn't matter _whose _fault it was or wasn't, that sort of thing can't be allowed to happen," Lee barked coldly. "We're planning a very difficult and demanding op now, and when you're out there facing the cylons, there's no room for error. None whatsoever, or you'll be dead. And so will all the colonists on New Kobol - we're their last chance for survival." He took a deep breath. "I want no mistakes. Understood?"

"Understood," they chorused, pulling their things together as they sensed the briefing coming to an end.

Lee stood staring down at the podium for a few minutes after the room had emptied. He exhaled softly, eyes downcast. He knew he was being hard on them, but hell, wasn't that his job as a commander? To get people to do their jobs properly? _Actually no, that's the job of the XO, but _your _XO is so unqualified to do that ..._

"Don't you think you were a little too hard on them?" Dee's voice softly interrupted his thoughts.

_Yes, and this is exactly why you have to do it - she won't! _Lee's gaze came up to rest on her sweetly pretty face. _Nope, definitely not XO material. _

"No. They needed a reality check. This plan is exceptionally risky and anyone who isn't one hundred percent out there will be dead in two seconds. Or less," he said firmly. "We don't have the luxury of a CAG to discipline them so _I _have to do it."

"But don't you think that being positive and helpful would motivate them more?" she asked helpfully.

"This is exactly why you were only a comms officer. You know nothing about how to lead," Lee said disdainfully.

Dee flinched as if struck. Lee _had _been rather testy lately, and she'd heard some not-so-pleasant comments made about him, but he had yet to be nasty to her. Until now. She drew herself up proudly. "Then _why _am I the XO here? Can you tell me that?" she demanded.

"Beats the frak out of me," Lee said nastily.

"Maybe I should resign then," she said, holding back the tears with an effort.

"Maybe that would be best. Except that we have no one to replace you. No, I think you're stuck here with me, whether you like it or not. Just don't question my authority, okay?"

"Yes sir," she snapped before turning and leaving the room quickly.

Lee sighed heavily, realizing he hadn't handled the situation very well. _Oh well, she's command now, she has to learn it isn't all hearts and roses. Sometimes people's feelings get hurt, sometimes people die, and you just have to live with it whether you like it or not. I wonder if this means our relationship is over too, _he thought. Quite frankly, the thought didn't really phase him. It wasn't really a relationship and hadn't been for some time. Truth was, it was more like the relationship he'd had with Shevon, the prostitute. Only he didn't have to pay Dee to have sex with him.

Right now he really didn't care about anything other than getting his plan properly executed and getting those people off that cylon-infested rock. He knew with every passing day that it was less and less likely he'd find her alive, but he had to keep hoping. He had nothing else.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

The fight was becoming wearing on Kara. She'd promised Sam she wouldn't put herself in danger, and she'd kept that promise, but she'd been the coordinator, overseer of all the resistance activity and she'd been run ragged in the weeks since Sam's death. Couple that with the fact that they were no longer getting food shipments from the hydroponic ship previously in orbit, and the fact that the cold season was upon them again so their harvest was over with no food likely for many months to come, and Kara was not only tired, she was cold and hungry. But even with others giving her part of their rations, she wasn't getting enough to eat. The baby was beginning to take everything she had and more, and everyone was noticing how thin and tired she was looking, aside from the small swell of her belly, showing that at least one of the two of them was doing well.

"You should get some rest Kara," Roslin said, laying a gentle hand on her arm. In the weeks following Sam's death, Roslin had become somewhat of a protector for Kara. Almost like she felt it was her duty to watch over her now that Sam couldn't anymore.

"I can't," Kara protested. "I've got work to do - reports to read, plans to make. People are counting on me."

"Your baby is counting on you," Roslin reminded her gently. "And Sam is counting on you to take good care of his son or daughter." At Kara's sorrowful look she continued. "You know he's out there somewhere, looking down and watching over you. He can't give you shit if you don't take care of yourself, but I can. I know the kind of person you are Kara, and when Sam died I made a promise to myself to take care of you and not let you self destruct."

Kara looked at her incredulously. "Why would you do that for me?"

"Because I care about you. I see a lot of myself in you. I too was once reckless, willing to die for my beliefs. I believed I was right and everyone else was wrong. I believed I was untouchable - that nothing could hurt me."

"So why did you change? You're not like that anymore."

"Age. I know it sounds corny, but with age _does _come wisdom. I've realized that my perceptions of life are just that - mine. There are many others I don't see and who's to say which of us is right, if any at all?" Roslin smiled. "I've learned tolerance, diplomacy and patience with age. You will too, assuming you live long enough." Kara gave her a sideways smile. "I've made it my job to make sure you survive. Now go - take a nap!"

"Yes ma'am!" Kara laughed, giving her a quick hug. "Just don't let me sleep too long. I have things to do."

"The things will wait. Now go!"

Kara smiled as she headed into her tent, a different one that the one she'd shared with Sam. She wouldn't have been able to stay there after his death, even if he hadn't been murdered right there in their bed. As her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

_"Ohhh ... it hurts so much," she groaned, swiping her sweat-slicked hair out of her face._

_"One more push ... maybe two. It's almost out," a female voice near her encouraged. "Come on Kara, you can do this."_

_"Tired ... don't wanna do this anymore. Can't ... I just ... ahhhh!" she cried out as another pain shot through her lower body._

_"Push Kara, push now!"_

_She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath and pushed, giving a long groan._

_"One more - I can see the head. Come on, don't give up now."_

_Kara felt a hand squeeze hers and she gleaned a trickle of strength to continue. She took a deep breath and got ready to push again. The pain was immense but actually it wasn't nearly as bad as the pain had been when she'd blown her knee down on the moon she'd nearly been stranded and died on._

_Waves of pain came again, starting in her belly and barreling down her legs._

_"Push Kara - one more time!"_

_She pushed and breathed, and pushed ... and kept pushing until she felt like she was going to explode. The pain subsided slightly and Kara opened her eyes._

_"You've done it," said a soft voice beside her. "You've done it Kara - you have a beautiful baby girl." The voice sounded so familiar it gave Kara shivers. Her eyes met his deep blue ones, to find him smiling at her._

_"Lee," she said weakly, smiling back up at him._

_"She's beautiful." He stroked her forehead tenderly, brushing the stray locks out of her eyes. "You're amazing Kara." He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. _

_"Your daughter," the nurse said, placing a tiny wrapped bundle in Kara's arms. She had pale skin and a small fringe of white-blonde hair. Her eyes were open, and they were the bluest Kara had ever seen ... other than Lee's._

_"Thanks for being with me and helping me through," she whispered._

_Lee squeezed her shoulder lightly. "I'm always here for you, you know that."_

Kara's eyes flew open and she looked around, confused for a moment. Then she regained her bearings and her hand slipped down to her belly, reassured by the growing bulge still there. She sat up and took a few deep breaths. _Why Lee? _she thought curiously. _Why am I dreaming about Lee?_

**oooooooooooooooo**

She wandered into the school tent a few minutes later, brow furrowed.

Roslin smiled at her. "How did you sleep?"

"Okay I guess." She blinked. "What time is it?"

"It's 0800 ... or just after."

"I slept all night?" Kara asked incredulously. "You were only supposed to let me have a quick nap."

"I checked on you a couple of times during the night but you were sound asleep. Obviously you needed the rest."

Kara sighed, nodding in agreement. Then she stiffened as a familiar form slipped into the tent almost unobtrusively.

"What are _you _doing here?" Kara hissed, automatically reaching for a weapon and cursing as she didn't find one.

"Please, I'm not here to hurt you," Sharon said, holding her arms out in a gesture of surrender.

"That's what you're _all _here for," Kara said vehemently.

"You have to listen to me. You need to be protected Kara - there are those who are opposing God's plan and they're bound and determined to kill you."

"They already killed Samuel," she said acidly. "You weren't here to protect _him._"

"He wasn't part of the prophecy. We did try - we saved him on Caprica and let him go because of you."

"Because of me? But how could you know ..."

"We found your dogtag on him and I knew he would only have it if he meant something special to you."

Kara crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, because you know me that well huh?"

"I was your friend Kara. I did know you that well once. I know you think I'm the enemy, but I'm not."

"Being a machine makes you the enemy."

"I would give anything, anything at all to be human," Sharon protested earnestly. "All I want is to go back to Galactica and be part of my family again."

"I'm not sure there's room for you. I believe there are already two of you there - a dead one, and a live one who's a prisoner of war," Kara said flatly.

"The Chief will understand - he'll take me back," Sharon said confidently.

Kara and Roslin looked uneasily at one another.

"I wouldn't count on that if I were you," Kara said. "The Chief is married now and has a son."

"With whom?" Sharon demanded.

"Cally."

Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Kara shrugged. "These things happen."

Sharon took a deep breath. "Well, the main issue here is to keep you safe."

"I don't need protecting, I'm perfectly fine," Kara protested.

"But if you come with me, I can hide you ..."

"No!" Kara interrupted forcefully. "I have no intention of going into hiding. I have a responsibility to these people, and they will protect me," she said proudly.

"But you're the chosen one - the one to fulfill God's plan."

"Listen to me," Kara said in a low but deadly voice. "I am _not _part of your God's plan and I have no intentions of doing anything for you or your people. Make that clear to them - especially if it has anything to do with those farms on Caprica." She shuddered involuntarily. "I _will not _be kept as a prisoner to have cylon babies. I'll kill myself before I'll allow that to happen."

"But Kara ..."

"No! Get out! Leave us alone. We're doing fine without your help. We _will _survive, you can be assured of that."

Sharon backed away, shrugging. "Fine. But I can't guarantee your safety if you don't let me help you."

"I never asked you to," Kara replied bluntly.

Sharon nodded and left, and Kara heaved out a huge sigh. That exchange had drained what little energy she had.

"That doesn't sound like good news," Roslin said dryly.

"Yes it does," Kara argued. "The enemy never compromises unless they know you have the upper hand. We redouble our efforts."

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

WHTMT - chapter 12

**oooooooooooooooo**

"I'd like a transfer back to Galactica sir," Dee asked meekly, hands clasped behind her back.

Adama's eyebrow lifted in surprise. "May I ask why?"

A myriad of emotions flitted across her face. Adama had always found her easy to read and now was no exception. Sadness was the foremost emotion visible, though she was obviously trying to hide it.

"It's Lee sir," she answered finally, garnering the courage to speak honestly. "He's become very ... difficult to work with."

"I see. In what way?"

Dee's insides were in turmoil. She didn't want to tell him about their personal relationship, or lack thereof, but she also didn't want to get him into trouble professionally. She knew how much Adama was counting on Lee to keep things in line on the Beast. It seemed to be a tough job, given the success rate of the previous Commanders, and she knew he was proud of his son for holding his own in such a hostile environment.

"He's becoming ... different. Much harder on the crew. Snippy - not as nice to people." She tried to make it as gentle as she could.

"A Commander isn't there to be liked Lieutenant. He gives orders and those under him obey. If they don't, well, sometimes he has to get unpleasant. I've done it on several occasions myself." He took off his glasses and set them down on his desk, giving her a fatherly smile. "I'm sure it feels nasty but once his crew comes in line properly ..."

"They are sir," she interrupted. "That's the problem. Everyone's doing well but yet he's riding them way too hard. Nitpicking every little detail. I think ... I think he's doing it for personal reasons."

"What sort of personal reasons?"

"I don't know sir," she answered forlornly. "He won't share them with me."

Adama's eyebrow raised again. He knew about the relationship between the two - always had. No one kept secrets on his ship and he'd known exactly when things had begun and why she'd asked to transfer to Pegasus months earlier. Obviously things weren't going well between them though. Her sadness broadcast that loud and clear. If it really _was _only professional, she might be angry or irritated with him. Nothing more.

"I see," he repeated. "Well, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you Lieutenant. We're all spread thinner than we should be and if I allow you to come back, Lee will have no XO. Not to mention people will start getting ideas, and begin asking for their own transfers. That can't be allowed, so I can't grant you any special treatment, no matter how much I want to. Everyone is fitting into their roles nicely, and we're nearly ready for the execution of our plan." At Dee's sad and frustrated look, he sighed. "I'll talk to him. See if I can figure out what's bothering him and straighten him out a little." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It was the right thing to do."

She smiled weakly. "Yes sir," and left his office.

Adama sat down in his chair, two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He had a feeling the upcoming conversation wasn't going to be pleasant.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Things were going well for the resistance. For every man they lost, close to ten centurions were being taken out as well. It bolstered everyone's courage to see the positive effect they were having, and new people were arriving at base camp to join the fight every day. Kara and Roslin could barely keep up with enlisting them and the Chief was working night and day to find and make enough weapons for everyone. His work tent was surrounded by a heavy guard detail, as was the base tent - strengthened in numbers since the new cylon threat against Kara's life was revealed. She was the heart and soul of the resistance, as most former Galacticans knew she would be, and she would gladly have given her life many times over to take out as many of the bastards as she could, but for the other life that was her utmost responsibility to protect. She was beginning to feel slight fluttery movements inside, which warmed her otherwise chilled soul. The cold season had come upon them in barely a couple of weeks, unlike the Caprican seasons they'd been used to, which took a month or more to change. That, and it had never gotten _this _cold there.

Which was also the cause of yet another problem. Sickness. Many people were coming down with bad chest colds, like Sam had had in the beginning, and it was beginning to worry Doc Cottle as several of them had already progressed to severe bronchitis. Kara herself was beginning to feel an uneasy tickle in her chest but she steadfastly ignored it. She had work to do. Lying in bed was not an option.

"We're going to need a specialized group to take out the President and the skinjobs with him in his office." Kara began.

Roslin gave her the trademark 'Laura' look.

"He's obviously a collaborator - he meets with them almost every day. How could they have gotten as far as they did without his help?" she pointed out.

"I always suspected he was, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt," Roslin said softly.

"Well doubt no more," Kara said firmly, looking her straight in the eye. "Gaius Baltar is out to serve one person, and one alone - himself. This must be benefitting him in some way or he wouldn't be going along with it."

Roslin nodded resolutely. "What do you have in mind?"

Kara outlined her plan. It was the riskiest yet. "So you see why we need good people?" she finished.

"It's brilliant, but incredibly dangerous. Do you think anyone will volunteer?"

Kara nodded enthusiastically. "These people are willing to die for their freedom , and I don't blame them one single bit. I'd rather die than be held as a cylon slave, wouldn't you?"

"Absolutely." Roslin grinned. Then her smile faded. "Do you have anyone in mind to be the bait?"

"Myself."

**ooooooooooooooooo**

"You wanted to see me?" Lee asked his father politely, once they were alone in Adama's office.

"Yes. I've heard a report that you're becoming increasingly difficult to work with. Is this the truth?" Adama began bluntly, never shying away from a confrontation.

"Who told you that?" Lee demanded, anger instantly flashing across his face.

"Your XO."

Lee's eyes narrowed. "And you believe her?"

_She was right, _Adama thought. _He has changed. He was never this quick to show emotion. Well, save that one time when Kara went missing ... _And a piece of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place for him and he finally saw the whole picture.

"Yes I do."

Lee huffed. "Well I'm not. I'm just doing what I have to do to get the job done. You've done nothing less," he added.

"She seems to think you have personal reasons behind your behavioural change."

"Well what does she know?" Lee exploded. "She isn't inside my frakking head!" He stopped himself. "Sorry sir."

"But she _is _in your bed."

Lee gave him a shocked look. "How did you ...?"

"Nevermind. It's time we cleared up some things around here. I know she asked for the transfer to be with you, and I granted it because it's a lonely life out here - no one knows that better than me." He gave Lee an apologetic look. He knew his eldest son had always resented that he put his commitment to the military ahead of his commitment to family. It was the reason for the divorce and everyone knew it. But Lee was the type who held grudges and he'd always blamed his father fully for his less than happy childhood. "You deserve some happiness son, and so does she. I had hoped you would be able to keep your personal life separate from work but I guess that's proving to be a little difficult these days."

"It's not Dee," Lee protested. "It's just that ..." He stopped, realizing he was about to tell his father how much he missed Kara and how desperate he was to get her back. But he didn't think his father would understand. They'd both been angry and hurt by her decision to leave, though his father had at least _known _about it and agreed to it.

"Just what?" Adama prompted gently.

Lee sighed and shook his head. "I just can't help thinking about all those people we left behind. It's driving me crazy knowing we just left them to die."

Adama knew he was referring to one specific person, despite his lack of ability to admit it. He knew though - he missed her too.

"Well, you've got to learn to put it away. Store it inside and not let it affect everything else you do. That's part of being in command. It's the worst part, in my opinion. Losing people is one thing, but the not knowing, the helpless feeling it creates is worse." He gave Lee a small smile. "Your plan is a damned good one - worthy of Starbuck. It'll work. Just a few more days and we're ready to go. I'm sure things will be alright on the surface. With Kara and Sam there, how could they not be? They're both fighters and will rally others to join them. Just you wait and see."

"I hope you're right," Lee said solemnly. "I hope it's not already too late."

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

WHTMT - chapter 13

**oooooooooooooooo**

Kara walked into Baltar's office, flanked by two centurions. She had her hands up in a pose of surrender and there was a calm, unemotional look on her face. Sharon's eyes narrowed when she saw her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked pointedly.

"Maybe she's seen the error of her ways and wants to surrender," Doral laughed harshly.

Kara allowed a brief look of anger to cross her face before schooling it back to neutral. She wasn't here to pick a fight, though it seemed _that _particular cylon thoroughly enjoyed goading her into it.

"Something like that," she said lightly.

"You're no fool Kara. We both know your resistance has the upper hand _for the moment_," Sharon stressed, "so why would you come to surrender?"

"I'm not here to surrender. You know we'll never be willing to do that, but for every victory we earn, we lose people too. And we don't have the luxury of resurrecting people once they're dead. We have to be concerned with whether or not our race will even survive." She threw Doral a quick look. "We want to find a compromise that can work for everyone."

Six clapped her hands and smiled. "See? Humans can be reasonable. That's what we want as well - a way for our peoples to live together. Right Gaius?"

Baltar's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't trust her with a ten foot pole. She's probably here laying some sort of trap." He glared at Kara, who threw him just as icy a look right back.

"He's probably right," Doral agreed. Then he turned to face her. "What guarantee do we have that you're here in good faith?"

"You have me," she said simply, head held high.

"Yeah, that means nothing. You'd die for the cause," Sharon said spitefully.

"Normally you'd be right," Kara admitted. "But considering you only want _me_ for some sort of 'destiny', it only makes sense that I sacrifice myself if everyone else will be left in peace."

Sharon's eyes narrowed again as she studied Kara. "You said you'd rather die than be part of the cylon/human hybrid plan."

"We've decided that the sacrifice must be made, regardless of what it is, and whether or not I like it."

"We?" Doral questioned.

"Me and the other leaders of the group. I'm to get word to them that we're working together and I'm unharmed, and the assault on your people will stop."

"That sounds reasonable," Six said, smiling again.

"Too reasonable," Doral growled uncomfortably.

"There's only one problem with the hybrid baby plan - I'm already pregnant." Kara took a deep breath after imparting this information, expecting the worst.

"It can wait, can't it? God's plan has already waited _this _long, can't it wait till she's ready?' Six asked innocently.

Doral grabbed Kara's arm and his grip was like iron. "Frak god's plan. We've got her now and we can do whatever we want with her."

Kara's heart began to pound.

Doral turned to Sharon. "Go tell her friends that they're to call off the attack. She surrendered willingly and will be staying with us as collateral."

Sharon looked uncomfortable, but left the office.

"Now look," Baltar said, as if he'd suddenly grown a spine. "You can't hurt her. She's their leader, not to mention the Admiral's pet. There's no way he's going to leave any of you alive if he finds out you've hurt her."

"_If _he finds out. They're otherwise occupied at the moment."

Kara's heart sank. She'd been right - the basestars had been sent to keep the battlestars occupied while they took the planet. Frak! Was anyone still alive even, let alone able to come and rescue them? She'd pretty much banked on them coming back to rescue the survivors once they'd launched their full assault. Which, by the way, should be happening soon. Two hours after her capture was the time they'd agreed upon, giving Kara some time to find a way to escape. If she could.

"You can't hurt her," Baltar repeated, now sounding somewhat hysterical.

"Forget to take your bravery pills this morning?" Kara asked sarcastically, bravado her usual defence against fear. She gave him a condescending smile.

He stared back challengingly. "I'm just trying to save your pathetic life, but obviously _that's _a waste of time."

"Oh come on Gaius, we both know you can't stand me, why would you even bother? No, you only care about taking care of yourself. You just want to ingratiate yourself with the Admiral when he comes back, so he doesn't throw you out an airlock for collaborating with the enemy."

"If I were you, I wouldn't be expecting the fleet to come back anytime soon, if ever," Doral said, yanking her towards the door.

Kara put on a brave face but inside she was shaking. They were going to do it to her again - force her to do things against her will and leave her bruised, scarred and broken. Hopefully they were just trying to quelch her hopes by saying the fleet was nearly dead - she couldn't believe that the only people she loved were dead already._ Lee, Lee ... please ... still be alive ... come for me ... this time I need you to save me ... please ..._

**oooooooooooooooooooooo**

The battle was not going well for the fleet. As Adama had said, the plan was a good one, the problem was that the battlestars were only half-manned, and they still had nearly forty civilian ships they had to protect while still waging war. Their resources were stretched way too thin, and the cylons just never seemed to tire. Not surprising though - they weren't human after all.

"We need another plan," Lee admitted frantically, as damage reports came in from all over his ship.

"I agree," Adama said shortly, gripping the phone hard. "I've got an idea, but we need to get to safe ground before we can discuss it. Execute jump to escape coordinates."

"Aye sir," Lee said, hanging up the phone. "FTL drive online?" he asked loudly, expecting someone to respond.

"Yes sir," came the answer from one of his officers.

"Set jump clock," he said tersely.

"We're leaving?" Dee asked timidly.

"We need to buy some time Lieutenant, so yes, we're leaving."

She nodded, beginning a check with the other officers to make sure all was ready.

"Last civilian ship safely away," his new comms officer Breck reported.

"Countdown on my mark." He paused a moment. "Mark."

The ten seconds seemed like forever to Lee as he watched multiple cylon raiders inch their way towards them on the dradis screen. He let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding as they appeared safely beside Galactica.

"Galactica reports the Admiral is on his way here now - ETA three minutes," Breck reported.

Lee nodded at him. "CIC is yours Lieutenant," he said over his shoulder to Dee as he walked out.

"Yes sir," she said softly to his departing back - the part of him she seemed to see most often lately.

Adama stepped off the Raptor wordlessly and the two men walked in silence to Lee's ready room. They both sat, facing each other but staring down at the ground.

"You're not going to like this," Adama stated without preface.

Lee lifted his eyes to meet his fathers. "Shoot," he said evenly.

Adama took a breath and studied his son for a moment before continuing. These months had obviously not been good to Lee. He was paler, unhealthy looking and truth be told, a bit chubbier around the middle than Adama remembered. There were dark circles under his eyes and the sparkle that had usually been present in them was gone. Lee was a man who was definitely suffering.

"We need to sacrifice your ship."

Lee's eyebrows raised. I beg your pardon?"

"We can't keep both battlestars, and I'm not willing to lose mine," Adama said, the barest trace of a smile on his face. "We don't have enough of a crew to man them both properly and subsequently we're fighting under par."

Lee nodded - it wasn't news to him. But this was a little more drastic than he'd expected.

"Okay, I'm with you," he said slowly.

Adama threw him a strange look. "I didn't think you'd agree so easily."

Lee shrugged. "It's obvious our strategy wasn't working, and equally obvious why. No, I don't _like _it, but I don't think we have many options left."

"No, we don't."

"Besides, this really isn't _my _ship. I know I'm Commander, but Galactica is home, not Pegasus."

Adama smiled and laid a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm glad to hear you say that," he said softly, and when Lee looked in his father's eyes he could see the surface happiness his comment had produced, as well as the deeper joy at his admission. He'd just told his father how much he loved him - not in those words perhaps, but the implication was there.

Suddenly Lee flinched and a look of pain crossed his face.

"What is it? What's wrong son?" Adama asked, strictly personal now.

"It's Kara," he burst out without thinking. "They're hurting her!"

"How ...?" Adama began but didn't bother to finish. There had always been some sort of connection between his son and Kara - both of his sons actually - that he'd never quite understood but had tried to respect. He knew others hadn't understood his leniency with respect to them and the frat regs they were forever breaking, especially Colonel Tigh, but he knew they'd only have been worse if he'd tried to keep them apart.

Lee jumped to his feet. "We've got to get back! We have to save her!"

Adama stood as well. "Slow down. We'll get there as soon as we can. Now, we need to work out the details of the plan. If we're going to sacrifice our ship, we're going to make damn sure we use it to our best possible advantage."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"No!" Kara screamed repeatedly as they held her down, one on each arm. He'd taken her to a cylon ship, different than any other she'd seen before - larger than a heavy raider but smaller than a basestar, and forced her down on a table. Another Doral had shown up, along with two of the blond model, both with a more vicious look in their eyes than the one she'd seen in Baltar's office, and each had taken a limb and begun to secure her.

"No - you can't hurt my baby - please!" she begged, instinctively knowing they planned on removing it so they could implant their own. Despite her yells of protest, not one of the four said a thing. The original Doral walked away for a moment and came back with a syringe in his hand.

"No!" Kara's eyes widened when she saw it, and she renewed her struggle with desperate intensity.

"No, please ... Lee, save me!"

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 15

WHTMT - chapter 14

**oooooooooooooooo**

She didn't hear the explosions. Nor the screams. Whatever they'd given her had put her out completely and she didn't wake till much later. When she finally began to reach for consciousness, it was like thinking through a thick, heavy comforter. Her brain felt fuzzy and disconnected - much the way it did when she was seriously hungover, but drinking had never affected the rest of her body so. She wasn't even sure she _had _a body - her brain was sending messages to her limbs to move but nothing was happening.

"Take it easy now," she heard vaguely, though the voice sounded very far away. She could feel fingers on her wrists and then ankles, removing the straps that had bound her. But even so, she couldn't move. Couldn't even open her eyes to see who her saviour was - it felt like they were made of lead.

"You _will _feel better soon, I promise," the voice said softly, genuine care and sympathy evident from it's tone. "In the meantime, you'll be safe here."

"My baby ...?" Kara rasped, barely able to open her mouth. The person rested a gentle hand on her stomach then withdrew it.

"They didn't hurt it."

Kara opened her mouth to speak again but gave up with the amount of effort it took. Her head lolled to one side.

"Rest now. Soon it'll wear off and you can go."

Kara heard footsteps, the sound getting more distant with each passing one. Her saviour was leaving her. She felt a stab of panic wash over her as she realized she was alone and more vulnerable than she'd ever been in her entire life. Then the baby kicked within her and the fear was instantly replaced with a rush of joy at the knowledge that it was okay.

**oooooooooooooooooo**

"So uh ... dad ... is there any reason, I mean other than the fact that Galactica is your baby, why we're sacrificing the beast instead?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that."

"So ..." Lee prompted.

"I'll admit there's a fair amount of personal reasoning in my decision," Adama admitted, "but the biggest reason is this: Once the civilian ships are safely away, Galactica will jump, taking all it's vipers, leaving Pegasus behind and undefended, supposedly having trouble with it's FTL drive. The cylons will pounce on it, glad of the chance to destroy one of our critical ships which they know will be manned by hundreds of people. Pegasus has modern enough technology though, that we can link all the ships systems and set it on autopilot so we don't _have _to have anyone aboard. If we were to use Galactica instead, we'd have to keep people on her and we'd lose them. I'm not willing to lose any more people. If we have to sacrifice one of them, at least let it be one where the least casualties will be."

Lee nodded appreciatively. That hadn't occurred to him. He'd figured there had to be _some _tactical advantage to using his ship, but he just hadn't been able to figure out what it was.

"Well, she's stripped and ready to go - we just need to evacuate the crew."

"We'll need a contingent in CIC to man the FTL systems till we get there. Then a couple of raptors will bring them to Galactica - don't worry," he added at Lee's concerned look, "they'll be well guarded with our best pilots."

Lee nodded. "I'll stay ... so will most of the regulars in CIC."

"No, you won't," Adama objected.

Lee's hackles began to rise, He hated it when his father told him what to do - effectively treating him like a kid.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling it. I'm in Command. I should be the one risking my life for my ship," he objected angrily.

"I'm not disputing that ..."

"Then what? You're afraid to put me in danger because I'm your son? You can't let personal ..."

Adama help up his hand firmly. "Enough."

Lee sniffed but he refrained from expressing his opinion. It always frustrated him when his father won an argument, seemingly just _because_ he was his father. Of course seniority was the more probable reason but sometimes Lee lost sight of that fact.

"The reason I won't let you stay is because I need you out there." Adama pointed out the porthole to the inky darkness outside the ship. "We don't have enough qualified pilots and I need you leading the viper squadron."

"I get to fly?" Lee said, an almost forgotten note of hope in his voice.

"Three basestars. Hundreds of raiders. One squadron of vipers. I'm going to need my best out there to protect those raptors. And you're it."

Lee felt tears come to his eyes. It had been so long since he'd been in the cockpit and he'd missed it sorely, but more importantly, to hear his father affirm him so openly. That was something he'd rarely done throughout Lee's life - he could probably count on one hand how many times he remembered his father giving praise in such a way.

"You can count on me," he said, struggling to keep his voice level.

"I've never doubted that." There was definite pride in Adama's voice.

"So who are you going to put in charge of Pegasus then?"

"Your XO."

"Dee?" He couldn't keep the disbelief from his voice.

"You think she's not qualified?" Adama asked, fishing for the truth in the special way he had, making people feel uncomfortable till they 'fessed up.

"Well I ... I mean ... I guess ... I Just don't ... normally she's okay but in wartime? No, I don't. I'm not sure she has what it takes to command under pressure."

Adama nodded. "At least you're honest. It won't take much skill though. Ten people at most and all she has to do is supervise the jump, then get everyone to their raptors."

"Still, I don't think ..." Lee began.

"We can't let personal feelings get in the way," Adama reminded him gently, knowing that while Lee loved Kara, he also cared for Dee and didn't want to see her get hurt.

Lee sighed. "I know."

"She knew what she was getting into when she accepted the promotion. I made the responsibilities very clear."

"If that's the way it has to be," Lee added quietly, almost thinking out loud.

"It is."

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Do you suppose she made it out?"

"I'm sure she did," Roslin replied to a tearful Cally, busily feeding her baby. "It seems to be what she's good at - putting herself in a dangerous situation and then finding a way out of it." Roslin smiled, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Kara hadn't shown up at the rendezvous point and everyone in the settlement had seen and felt the explosion that had destroyed Colonial One, leaving pieces no bigger than a cubit. A few of the rebels had gone under cover of darkness but they'd found no sign of her ... or her body parts.

"I'm sure she's had to find another place to hide. She'll be with us soon." Roslin patted Cally's shoulder, feeling a sudden pang of sorrow as she saw Matthew sucking happily at his mother's breast. She'd never really wanted children - preferred the single, solitary life where she had no long-term attachments, but for some reason, seeing Cally with her baby was causing wishful feelings to wash over her. _Stop it Laura, _she told herself. _You're forty - eight years old for crying out loud, and you don't even have a man! If it weren't for Isis, you'd be long dead already. Just be thankful you're still alive!_

Roslin walked over to where a few of the resistance were gathered and joined them. They looked up, questioning expressions on all their faces. They'd taken to her being in charge after Kara left with no problems.

"I want her found," she hissed, almost under her breath. "We need her."

"But things are going well ..." One of them said, voicing what some of them were thinking.

"We can get the job done without her," Roslin said, turning steel grey eyes on him, "but she's the morale booster. People are beginning to think she didn't make it, and they're losing faith that we can win, even though we've already struck a tremendous blow against the enemy. Anyone who doesn't have an immediate job - form a search party."

Tyrol, who'd walked into the huddle for the last couple of sentences, nodded his head fiercely. "We'll find her," he said firmly.

Roslin nodded gracefully, and even without uttering a word everyone knew she was dismissing them. She still had that presidential, if almost regal air about her that people responded to in a positive way. It had never been spoken aloud, but many people were secretly hoping she would resume the office of President once Baltar was either killed or proven to be one of the enemy. It wasn't like everyone on the surface didn't know he was, it was just convincing those who'd stayed shipside. Baltar was a slimy weasel, adept at sneaking out of trouble and somehow making people believe it was never his fault to begin with.

Roslin stood in the corner of the tent, watching as the Chief rallied people and divided them up into search groups. He really had come into his own - far from the downtrodden deck chief she'd come to know on Galactica. Here, he'd had the opportunity to take on more of a leadership role, making decisions, and had proven that he didn't just have a way with engine parts. People respected him and listened to him - he had that charisma that caused those around him to follow his lead. _Much like Kara, _she thought. _If we don't find her, gods forbid, he'll make a much better leader for this group than I. _She smiled as everyone peeled away, eager to get to their assignments.

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

The next time Kara reached consciousness she was much more alert. She'd fallen unconscious again shortly after her saviour had left, but now she was feeling stronger and almost ready to move. Her eyes opened to see the mainly unfamiliar sight of the cylon ship. She recognized a few things from when she'd been brought in but much of it was alien to her. She sat up gingerly, flexing her muscles to make sure they all responded. They did, thankfully. She didn't feel one hundred percent quite yet, but a whole lot better than she had the last time she'd woken. She caressed her stomach lovingly then hopped off the table, determined to find out where she was and how to get back to base.

**oooooooooooooooooooo**

"Apollo to Galactica, all vipers ready," Lee said, adjusting his helmet one final time. He'd been looking forward to this moment since his father had told him he'd be leading the squadron, but now that it was here, he was a little nervous. It had been nearly six months since he'd flown, and though it was something you never forgot how to do, he was a little afraid he'd lost his edge - that which had made him and Starbuck an almost unstoppable pair. _Gods, I wish she was here with me, _he thought, with a pang of sorrow. But at least now they were hopefully going to get rid of the immediate cylon threat and get their asses back to New Kobol to rescue her ... and anyone else who'd survived.

"Launch on my mark Apollo," the temporary comms officer told him. "We jump in ten ... nine ... eight ..."

Lee knew all the other pilots were just as nervous as he was. They'd done very little ship-to-ship combat since leaving the planet, and most of their best had already perished. Not only did he not have the 'A' string, he was down to about 'F' - practically green nuggets except for himself and Helo, who'd been pressed back into service as well. He wasn't a viper pilot strictly speaking, but he'd had some experience and much more in raptors which could only help.

"... one ... jump."

Lee felt his insides turn out and then back again in a split second.

"Mark!"

Lee launched and was followed by nine others in quick succession. As he emerged from the tube, he saw the basestars, also already launching their raiders.

"Galactica, Apollo. Enemy in sight. Engaging raiders."

"Apollo, Galactica. Tear up as many of them as you can. Await my signal for raptor launch from Pegasus."

"Will do Galactica. Come on everyone, let's go."

The fight was fast and furious and while many raiders were destroyed, a few of the fleet pilots were as well. Soon there were only seven left and Lee was beginning to pray that the raptors would launch soon so they could leave as quickly as possible before he lost anyone else. He was barking orders out one after the other, hoping that they'd understand at least _some _of the maneouvres he was trying to get them to do.

"Apollo, Galactica. Raptors launching from Pegasus. Copy."

"Copy that Galactica. We're on them." Thankfully, Lee turned his viper towards Pegasus to see the two ships emerge from it's hull.

"Hammer, Red - you're with me. Everyone else, surround the raptors and use yourselves as blockade between them and the raiders."

"Aye sir," came the multiple responses. They may not be good pilots yet, but they were at least well-trained enough to follow orders without question. _Unlike Starbuck, she never follows orders - at least not mine anyway. On the other hand, if she'd listened to you, you'd be dead by now,_ his subconscious reminded him. And Lee was more determined than ever to get back to the planet to save her. She'd saved his ass multiple times - in fact he wouldn't have even made it past Ragnar station the day of the first attack if she hadn't done that horribly risky maneouver that had saved him and his ship. Never mind that she'd shot and nearly killed him - that had been an accident and he'd long forgiven her for that.

The cylons saw the new target and changed their focus. They attacked the raptors full force and it was all Lee could do to kill as many as possible. Their chance of survival was lessening as minute by minute he was losing people. Soon there were only three of them left - not enough to defend the raptors properly.

"We're hit!" he heard the pilot of raptor two yell through the comms and he saw it dip and swerve as it lost control.

"Galactica, Apollo. Patch me in to raptor two."

"Apollo, Galactica. You're through."

"Raptor two, swing starboard, I'll give you the engine power you need on the other side - we can make it to Galactica in less than a minute. Just hold tight." He nosed his ship gently against the raptor and used his thrusters to gently boost them the rest of the way there. Many shots were fired at them but fortunately none connected.

"We're hit!" raptor one's pilot shouted and Lee swore silently. Where was Starbuck when he needed her? He could only be in one place at a time, and no one else was qualified enough to invent a plan on the fly like she was.

"I'll be there in a minute raptor one," he yelled, praying raptor two would land safely.

"Thanks for your help Apollo, we're good now," raptor two's pilot said, and Lee thankfully peeled away and did a one eighty, firing his thrusters on full to reach raptor one.

Unfortunately it wasn't quite quick enough. The other two vipers had been destroyed and raptor one was defenceless. The cylons had no mercy and destroyed it instantly.

"Frak, frak, frak, frak!" Lee said angrily, tears forming in his eyes.

"Apollo, Galactica," he heard his father's voice say, urgency foremost. "We're ready to jump. Come on home."

"On my way Galactica," he said, trying to keep the tears out of his voice, as he turned around and coasted into Galactica's hangar bay. "Apollo in."

"Jump in ten ... nine ... eight ..."

Lee stopped his viper and powered down. The canopy hissed open as he pulled off his helmet and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He stood up, climbed out of the cockpit and walked down the stairs the tech had quickly pushed up against his viper. He strode quickly to raptor two and waited as the hatch opened and the crew stepped out. All six of them had equal expressions of relief on their faces.

Dualla wasn't one of them.

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

WHTMT - chapter 15

**ooooooooooooooo**

Laura Roslin's eyes widened till they were as large as saucers, and she breathed a huge sigh of relief as she caught sight of Kara, winding her way carefully through the tents back to home base. She grabbed Kara and enveloped her in a big hug, tears stinging her eyes painfully.

"It's good to see you too," Kara whispered, close to tears herself.

Roslin finally let go of her, but still held her at arm's length, clutching her shoulders, almost as if by letting go Kara would vanish again.

Word spread quickly and soon the tent was overflowing with people congratulating them and looking at Kara with such reverence as if she were their saviour.

"Thank the gods she's back safe," Roslin said, holding up a hand to silence the crowd.

"So say we all," a voice said quietly, and it's mantra was repeated by all a moment later. The floodgates opened then and Kara's tears spilled free. She wiped them unabashedly, marveling to herself how much she'd changed these last few months. Normally she would have died of embarrassment had anyone seen her cry, but now it didn't seem to matter. They were tears of joy, relief, sorrow ... a myriad of emotions, and they all needed to find a way out.

Once the din had subsided and people had returned to their tasks, Kara took Roslin aside in a corner of the tent.

"How are we doing?" she asked quietly.

Roslin nodded her head emphatically. "Your plan was fantastic - worked perfectly. I doubt if they have the ability to rise up against us again after that blow."

"It was successful?" kara sounded amazed.

"_More _than successful. Since the initial blast they've been disoriented, unable to form a proper defence and we've been picking them off one by one."

"Did Baltar survive?"

Roslin shook her head and a look of doubt crossed her face for the first time. "I don't know. We've searched the area around Colonial One, but the only pieces left were the size of ..."

"Yeah, I know," Kara said flatly, interrupting her. "I passed by it on my way back."

"Where _where _you? We were afraid you hadn't made it out."

Kara shivered slightly at the memory. "I almost didn't, except one of them took me away and drugged me. I woke up on a ship way outside the settlement."

"My gods, if only we'd known ... I would have sent someone to get you. You shouldn't have had to walk all that way back by yourself."

"It was tiring," Kara admitted, sitting heavily on a chair and holding her stomach.

"Let me get you something to eat and drink. You must be needing it by now." Roslin scurried off without giving Kara a chance to protest. Under normal circumstances, she would have. Profusely in fact. But given her current physical and emotional condition, she was actually glad to have someone fussing over her. _If only it were Lee._The thought came out of nowhere. She had no idea why she'd been thinking about him so much lately, but for some reason he was constantly popping into her thoughts, and she was realizing how much she was missing him. In a way she felt guilty for thinking about him, even considering how close they'd once been; she felt almost as if she were betraying Sam's memory by having a former almost-lover in her mind so soon after his death. But in another way, she needed to think about him. Lee was her friend, or had been before she'd left, but he was much more than that to her as well. He was the anchor that kept her feet on the ground when she was tempted to fly away. He was the rudder that steered her in the right direction when she strayed onto the path of depression and self-destruction. _He _was what she needed right now, but he was something she couldn't have. She didn't even know if he was still alive, though she felt pretty sure she'd know if anything serious had happened to him. She'd always been able to sense it before, though never in time to prevent it. She was always the one picking up the pieces in the aftermath. Now _she _was the one who needed saving. She closed her eyes and wished with all her might, hoping he'd somehow sense she needed him and show up to rescue her.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee stood in the near-solitude of the hangar bay, staring at the raptor he'd helped rescue. Six people had survived out of ten, which were much better odds than usual for them. He was the only one out of ten pilots who'd survived, but that hadn't really come as a surprise to him, given how inexperienced they'd all been. He sighed, wishing he'd been able to save the other raptor as well. They and the civilian ships had gotten safely away though, and as his father had reminded them all in the brief memorial service, giving their lives so that others could survive was something they'd all been more than willing to do.

Still, it hurt. More than Lee thought it would, considering how strained the relationship between himself and Dee had been of late. He'd been sure he hadn't loved her - she was just a distraction to help take his mind off the fact that he couldn't have the woman he really wanted. He'd been sure of it, really sure, but now he began to wonder if that were really true. He felt empty inside somehow, like a piece of him was missing. Perhaps it had begun as a distraction and a way to find some intimacy even if it wasn't with the one he _really _wanted to be with, but it seemed somewhere along the line he'd actually allowed her into his heart.

A hand on his shoulder startled him; he hadn't heard anyone coming.

"I should have been able to save them," he said sadly.

"You're only one man, you can't do everything." His father's words were meant to be reassuring but they didn't help much.

"But I _should _have been able to," he said, a trifle fiercely. "If Starbuck were here, _she'd _have been able to save them both. I know she would have."

"I doubt that Lee, she's only human too, and as much as we like to think she's some sort of superhero, she's not."

Lee turned his head and met his father's eyes. Adama squeezed his shoulder.

"You loved her, didn't you?" And they were both aware that they weren't talking about Kara anymore.

Lee couldn't find the right words, so he just nodded.

"I did too. Almost like a daughter."

For the first time it struck Lee just how similar he and his father really were. They'd both loved Kara; like a daughter? friend? sister? - he wasn't really sure. But once she was gone, they'd both tried to fill the hole in their hearts with Anastasia Dualla, someone who wasn't and could never be Kara. Now it didn't matter though, she was gone and they were both grieving her loss.

"Get some rest Lee, we only have a few hours before the next phase starts."

"I know," Lee said resignedly. Given the way their luck was going, they'd reach New Kobol too late and everyone would be dead already. Lee wasn't sure he could handle that.

He turned and headed out of the hangar bay towards his old bunkroom. He could have moved to the XO's quarters, as Helo was gone now and Lee was most senior officer under the Admiral, but he needed the comfort of something familiar. He walked in silently, not wanting to wake anyone else who might be sharing quarters with him, but there were only two others in the room. His eyes automatically did a one-two, scanning his old bunk and Kara's to see if they were taken. They weren't. He undressed down to his tanks and shorts quickly, intending to sleep in his old bunk, but for some reason he found himself in Kara's instead. It didn't smell of her anymore - of course not, it had been months since she'd been here and several others had probably slept here since then - but he felt comforted by her presence there anyway. _Hold on Kara - please, I'm coming. I won't let you die too_, were his last thoughts before falling asleep.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Kara stood on a hill a little way away from the settlement, surveying what was left of it. The cost had been high - extremely high- but they'd done it. They'd kicked the cylons mother-frakking asses off the planet and shown them that humans weren't willing to be cylon slaves. The cost in physical damage to the settlement had been high, but the cost in loss of life had been even higher. They'd lost many, many good people and it was disheartening to their friends and family, having to go on without them.

But go on they would. Kara could see people beginning to rebuild already - Tyrol had changed his focus from creating weapons to making teams to rebuild the community. They'd decided to use the trees from the forest a few kilometres away and actually build _real _homes this time, not just tents. Mind you, there were no new supplies as there was no sign of the rest of the fleet, and no one knew if they'd even survived. Kara was sure of it though - she knew she'd feel it if anything happened to Lee or his father. They'd always been close, even when fighting, and she refused to believe that they were dead. But the fact was, they had to prepare for that eventuality anyway, and make a permanent settlement just in case they were never rescued.

She scanned the settlement then allowed her eyes to drift away ... to the cemetary nearby. It had had a few dozen crosses before the cylon attacks - victims of the same pneumonia that had nearly killed Sam - but now there were hundreds, perhaps even a thousand crosses dotting the landscape. She decided to take a walk that way first before going back and joining Roslin. The two of them had become the unofficial leaders of the colony and had worked together to plan how to create lives for the remaining colonists. It wasn't something Kara was particularly good at, but people were looking to her for leadership and she wasn't going to disappoint them. Besides, she'd gotten quite used to working with Roslin and had developed much more respect for the woman she'd disliked back in her Presidential days. What with her diplomacy skills and Kara's out-of-the-box imagination, they'd been a quite a team.

She slowed as she reached Sam's grave - still marked with the dogtag she'd hung on it at his funeral. Tears began to form in her eyes and she dropped to her knees. They spilled down her cheeks and she whispered an almost silent prayer to the gods to keep him safe till she joined him. The baby kicked, more often and harder now, as if it had something to say to it's father. The tears kept coming as she grieved the loss of the father her baby would never have. She'd never really wanted kids - not for a long time, and even after getting pregnant she was unsure if she could handle being a parent. Her own experience with her mother frightened her and she was terrified of repeating the past. She'd always counted on Sam's good nature and even temper to balance her natural instincts, but now it was hitting her that she was going to have to raise this baby on her own.

The sky darkened as clouds covered the weak sun, and Kara shivered as the temperature dropped several degrees. A soft voice coming from behind her made her eyes open wide with surprise.

"Kara."

**TBC**


	17. Chapter 17

WHTMT - chapter 16

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Kara turned around slowly, hardly daring to believe what she'd heard. _It must be my imagination, _she thought, shutting her eyes and forcing her suddenly racing heart to slow. The sound of ships engines filled her ears and she looked up to see a dozen raptors overhead. She spun her head around quickly, hope surging in her breast again.

Lee's smiling face looked down at her. "Hey," he said softly. "Long time no see."

"Lee ..." was all could she could manage as she stood slowly.

Lee's deep blue eyes drifted from her face down to take in her swollen belly.

"Kara, you're ..." he said, looking stunned.

" ... pregnant. I know." She ran a loving hand over her stomach, making the loose sweater pull tight over the round swell.

Lee shook his head in surprise. "I'm ... I'm ... surprised. I never thought you'd ..."

"You've been gone a long time," she said softly, walking up to him and stopping close, very close. "I'm glad you're still alive."

"Likewise," he said, giving her an awkward smile. This wasn't quite the reunion he'd been imagining - her running happily into his arms, telling him how sorry she was for leaving him ... telling him she loved him and always had ... _Romantic old fool, _he berated himself. _You know full well Kara's not going to do that. She doesn't love you, never has. Just because you love her and are free to be with her now doesn't mean she feels the same. Hell, she's carrying _his _child now! _A wave of sadness washed over him but he pushed it aside. It really was good to see her alive.

He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, surprising her. She responded though and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the curls on his neck. He obviously hadn't had a haircut in a while. _Nor has he exercised in quite a while, _she thought as his arms tightened around her waist and pulled her close against him. He was decidedly a little chubbier than she remembered him.

As Lee pulled her closer, he felt the swell of her belly against his lower belly and groin. The fact that she was pregnant hadn't really sunk in till he realized their bodies didn't fit perfectly together the way they always had before. The baby squirmed hard enough for him to feel the movement, and a sudden stabbing pain hit him in the chest. _I wish the baby inside of her was mine. _Lee buried his face in her hair, blinking back the tears. If he hadn't been confused about his feelings before, he sure was now.

He'd loved Dee, and in a way was still mourning her as he missed seeing her everyday. But he'd never felt the desire to marry her or have children with her, even though she'd hinted at it delicately a few times before things went sour with them.

Truth be told, he hadn't ever really wanted kids at all. It wasn't that he didn't like them, he just didn't think he was the fatherly type, and he knew from bitter experience that kids needed fathers. He was more of a career-oriented person, like his own father, and had always figured Zack would be the one who had the family.

He'd been devastated to find out that his longtime girlfriend Gianne, who'd always said she was happy not having children, was pregnant. Lee had been appalled. He'd just been promoted to Lieutenant and was being stationed off Caprica for the first time and he knew he couldn't do what his father had done - be the absentee dad. So he'd ended it in a hurry, hoping she'd find some other nice guy who'd take care of her and the baby.

It was only much later when he accidentally ran into a friend of hers when he was on a forty-eight hour leave that he found out she'd gotten pregnant intentionally, hoping to force him to quit the military and stay with her. The shock and disappointment of him leaving her had caused her to have a miscarriage though and she'd left Caprica, hoping to start a new life elsewhere. Lee had wanted to find her, to apologize, but he hadn't been able to, and a few months later the cylon attack had happened and none of that was possible any longer.

So why now? Why with Kara? Why did the thought of marrying her and having children with her sound like the best thing he'd ever heard?

His hands caressed her back and sides, and he realized for the first time just how thin she'd become. The overly large clothing she wore hid her figure well, but Lee could tell she'd lost a lot of weight. He was about to ask her if she was okay, when a sudden fit of coughing seized her and wracked her painfully. She pulled away and continued to cough, doubling over and nearly retching. When she was done, she clutched at her stomach and gasped for air.

"Are you alright?" Lee asked worriedly, putting his arms around her and helping her back up.

"I'm fine," she said weakly, trying to pull away from him.

"No you're not," Lee argued, face etched with concern.

"Yes I am. It's just a little cold. It's nothing." Then she collapsed into another fit of coughing.

Lee flung his arms around her again and pulled her against him for support. "Where's the doc?"

Kara shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't seen him lately," she answered between coughs.

"We're going to find him," Lee said firmly, picking her up and carrying her towards what was left of their small city. Kara didn't protest. Instead her arms went up around his neck and held on as if she would never let go.

**oooooooooooooooooooooo**

Roslin was busily discussing plans with the Chief when something unusual caught her eye. A figure, bulky and odd looking, staggering across the field towards them. For a moment she panicked, then her rational mind took control. Galactica was back, people who wanted to were being evacuated from the planet, and the cylons couldn't possibly have come back without someone doing something about it.

She squinted at the figure, watching it slowly come into focus. Her jaw dropped. "Oh ... my ... gods," she said slowly, and Tyrol pulled his eyes away from the plans he'd been drawing up to follow her gaze. "I can't believe it," Roslin said, and a wide grin broke out on her face as the figures - there were two of them she could see now - drew close.

"Captain Apollo," she said warmly. "I mean, Commander," she corrected herself.

Lee allowed himself a small smile too. "It's good to see you too Madam President," he said without thinking.

"Laura, it's just Laura now," she said. "I'm glad you're okay. It's good to see you back here."

Kara coughed again, writhing in Lee's arms. For the first time Roslin appeared to notice her, and the smile dropped.

"Where's the doc?" Lee asked shortly.

"Is she okay?" Roslin asked worriedly. "I know she's been doing too much, and what with her imprisonment ..."

Lee's eyebrows rose but he filed that away for later exploration. "No she's not. I'm no expert but her lungs sound terrible. I'd say there's a good chance she's got pneumonia."

Roslin looked shocked. "I had no idea ..."

"Yeah well, that's Kara all over. Never tells anyone when she needs help."

Kara smacked him weakly on the back. "Put me down. I'm fine."

"No you're not," Lee said emphatically. "I'm taking her back to Galactica," he said to Tyrol and Roslin, "find the doctor and send him right away."

"If he's alive," Tyrol put in quietly. "We haven't seen him since before the first attack."

"Find him," Lee repeated sternly, sounding exceptionally like his father, Roslin noted.

She nodded and the two of them disappeared into the tent and rubble village.

Kara struggled and Lee reluctantly put her down, puffing as he did so.

"A little out of shape are we?" she quipped.

Lee gave her a curious look. "Well, I haven't had my running partner around lately," he said, trying to keep his tone light to match hers.

They stared at one another for a long moment then Kara turned away and started walking towards the closest raptor.

"Are you okay to walk?" Lee called out solicitously after her.

"Fine. It's not far."

Lee caught up to her and they walked in silence for a few moments.

"So um ... congratulations on the baby," he said, a little uncomfortably. Kara just nodded. "Where uh ..." Lee looked around. "Where's the lucky dad-to-be?"

"He's dead," she stated flatly.

Lee turned to face her and stopped walking. "He is?"

She looked at him as if he were about three years old. "It was _his _grave you found me at."

Lee flushed deeply. "I um ... didn't notice."

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I was too busy staring at you," he admitted frankly. "I scarcely dared hope you were still alive and well ... there were so many crosses, I figured ... it could have been anyone's." He flushed a deeper red as he finished stammering through his sentence.

"Well, it was his." She turned away and kept walking, shoulders squared proudly.

As the realization hit Lee, shame spread throughout his body. Sam had had pneumonia. Kara had asked for his help. He'd refused. Consequence? He had been responsible for Sam's death. His whole body flushed hotly with shame. It was a wonder she was even _speaking _to him.

"Kara, I'm so, so sorry," he broke out, following a few steps behind her. "It's all my fault. When you called for help, I should have ..."

She stopped dead. "It wasn't the pneumonia that killed him."

Lee caught up to her and stood in front of her, a quizzical look on his face. "It wasn't?"

"They came for me. After I escaped from the farm on Caprica, Sharon told me I had a destiny - that there was something special about me and that they wouldn't rest till they'd found me again. Well, they did." She paused a took a deep breath. "He wouldn't let them take me. He'd have done anything to stop them if he could have, but they shot him in order to get to me."

Lee's face had gone chalk white. "My gods, I never knew ..."

"Of course you didn't," she said sadly. "You weren't here."

She could see the regret shining in his eyes like a beacon. "I didn't want to go - I wanted to stay. To fight, to be with y ... to fight them with you."

"I wish you'd been here too." Tears glistened in her eyes. "Apollo and Starbuck - we've always been an unbeatable team."

Lee reached out a hand and took hers gently. "And always will be." Their eyes met and something unspoken passed between them.

"Come on, let's get you to Galactica," he said in a voice that was almost loving. He turned and began to walk towards the raptor again, keeping his hand linked with hers. _I'm never letting you go again Kara, _he thought, squeezing it gently.

She squeezed back and he felt his heart soar with happiness. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

WHTMT - chapter 17

**ooooooooooooooo**

The nurse pulled the curtain and ushered Lee out into the waiting area.

"She's definitely in rough shape, but I can't tell you bad it is till we've run some tests," she said.

"Can you figure it out without the doctor?" Lee asked.

Ishay gave him a look. "You'd be surprised how much nurses actually know. All we're missing is the 'Dr.' in front of our names."

"Sorry," Lee said contritely. "I'm just worried."

"I know. Her lungs definitely have fluid in them and I'd be willing to bet she's malnourished and anemic from the looks of her. We'll know more after I do some bloodwork."

"Is the baby okay?"

"Seems to be. I'll do a scan when she wakes up to make sure, but there's a good strong heartbeat and movement, which are both good signs. You wouldn't happen to know how far along it is would you?"

Lee shook his head.

"Looks like close to five months if I had to guess, but I'll know for sure after the blood test."

"Can you, I mean, are you able to ... do the delivery if we don't find the doc?" Lee asked carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

Ishay smiled at him. "I was trained as a midwife as well as a nurse. I can handle it."

Lee sighed. "Good. Ill be back later on."

"The sedative I gave her should last about four more hours. I'm sure she'd like to see you then." Ishay, like everyone else who'd been on Galactica since Lee had come aboard had some inkling that there was more between them than they'd let on.

"Keep me informed if anything happens between now and then."

"I will Commander."

"Thank you."

Lee walked out of Lifestation and turned to head to his office - his old office. His father had reinstated him as CAG after the destruction of the Pegasus. He'd suggested that perhaps he replace Helo as XO, being the more seasoned officer, but Lee had declined, preferring to return to his first love, flying. He'd commanded the Pegasus for a year, giving it his best, but his heart had never really been in it. He _did _like working with people, which was paramount in a command officer, but he preferred to do some of the hands-on stuff as well, especially when it was in a viper. He'd missed flying terribly in the year he'd been away from it, and was even ecstatic to be flying CAP again, something he'd found immensely dull before. _Unless it was with Kara - she always had a way of making it fun._

He rounded a corner and nearly collided with his father, obviously headed to Lifestation.

"How is she son?" Adama asked, as they stopped briefly to talk.

"She's ... not doing so well." His voice broke on the last word and he strove to keep his tears in check.

"Do you think she'll pull through?" Concern was evident on the elder Adama's face. Lee knew he loved Kara dearly as well.

Lee managed a lopsided smile. "She's Starbuck, isn't she?"

He nodded. "That she is. And Starbuck never gives up. We should both know that by now."

"Dad, there's something you should know before you go see her."

"She's pregnant," Lee blurted out, not knowing quite how to put it more delicately. "And Sam is dead. Has been since near the beginning of the attacks apparently."

Adama's shoulders slumped. "Poor Kara. Not this again," he said quietly.

"I just thought you should know before you see her. She's asleep now though, and will be for a while yet."

"I'll make it a quick visit then."

Lee nodded. "I'll be in my office but I'm coming back later."

"I know," Adama said, giving his son a quick pat on the shoulder as he resumed walking.

**oooooooooooooooooooooo**

Adama stood beside Kara, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It sounded wet and rattly, and though he was no doctor, he knew it wasn't good news. She was very pale - much more than usual - but the nurse had said her vitals were stable.

He sat down by her bedside and took her hand, squeezing it lovingly.

"Kara, you poor thing. Why does it always happen to you? You have such a tortured soul and deserve to find happiness, yet every time you do, it all goes wrong." He sighed. "If I had one wish, just one, I'd wish for you to find happiness that would last. I know that's selfish since I should wish for humanity to finally prevail over the cylons, but there comes a time when you just have to put the people you love ahead of the greater good. And I love you Kara, like the daughter I never had - almost had though. Even though you and Zack never actually married, I've always felt you were a part of this family.

I know you and Lee aren't on the best of terms now - haven't been since you left, but you need someone to take care of you and help you through this. Let him be the one. He loves you, always has. I know he'll take good care of you." He laid a gentle hand on her stomach. "Both of you. Now you get better, you hear me? That's an order Starbuck, and one I expect you to follow for a change. We've lost enough people we care about. We can't stand to lose you too." He leaned over and pressed his lips against her forehead before pulling back and giving her a small, sad smile.

**oooooooooooooooooooooo**

Unfortunately just bringing Kara to Galactica wasn't enough to make her well. Her condition worsened over the next couple of days. The fluid in her lungs seemed to thicken, making her breathing much more laboured, she'd become feverish, and had begun slipping in and out of consciousness.

Both Adamas spent as much time with her as possible, Lee giving up all of his free time to be at her bedside. Much of the time she was unconscious, but even when she was awake, she seldom spoke, and they just remained in a semi-comfortable silence. Lee had many things he wanted to tell her, ask her, talk to her about, but he forced himself to be patient. There would be time for that yet, he assured himself, for he refused to believe she wouldn't get well again.

No sign of Doc Cottle had been found, despite an exhaustive search. Nurse Ishay was the next most senior medical officer, and so she became the one they looked to for answers. She'd done thorough scans of the baby to find it was healthy and growing as it should be, but Kara's health was seriously worrying her.

On the third day after their return, Lee strode into Lifestation before seven am, planning on spending a little time with Kara before his duty shift started.

"How is she doing?" he asked Ishay, as he pulled the chair up close beside her bed. He looked at her flushed, drawn face and figured he already knew the answer before she even spoke.

"To be honest Commander, I'm quite worried. She's definitely getting worse, not better and I'm afraid if we don't do something she might not make it."

Lee's stomach lurched at the possibility. He _couldn't _lose her - he just couldn't. He rubbed a weary hand across his unshaven face.

"How's the baby?"

"Seems to be just fine," she said, but there was a catch in her voice that Lee didn't fail to notice.

He fixed her with a direct stare. "What are you not telling me?"

She sighed. "There's only one medication we have that could help her - we're not exactly an urgent care centre at a local hospital here, we're a warship so we're stocked more for battle injuries than bacterial infections."

Lee nodded impatiently.

"The problem is, it's a very high-potency drug, one we only use in emergency situations," he voice dropped low, "and it's been proven to harm unborn babies."

Lee felt the world swim for a moment as the information hit him like a ton of bricks. The only way to make sure Kara got well again was to hurt, perhaps kill her baby.

He took a deep breath and forced his voice to remain calm. "What would the extent of the damage be?"

"Brain deformities and eventual death."

The words hung heavy between them as Lee didn't know how to respond. He looked over at Kara and her eyes were open. Obviously at some point during the conversation she'd regained consciousness. There was a look of desperation and fear in them, and she shook her head, an almost imperceptible motion but Lee caught it.

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. I'm just going to go talk to the nurse for a minute. I'll be right back."

She shook her head, stronger this time.

"i promise nothing's going to happen to you - either of you. I won't let anyone hurt you again," he added fiercely. He took Ishay's arm and led her to the waiting area.

"What happens if we don't do anything?" He asked. "Will she get better on her own?"

"Perhaps," Ishay answered. "But her fever is climbing and soon it will be dangerously high for both of them."

"Don't you have anything to bring the fever down?"

"Of course I do," she snapped, beginning to get frustrated with him, "but it will only help curb the symptoms, not fix the underlying problem. And there's only so long she can be on those meds before permanent damage to the baby occurs anyway."

"Frakking hell!" Lee swore angrily, then remembered he wasn't alone. "Sorry. Pardon my language."

"It's alright sir. I understand," she said, sympathy darkening her already brown eyes. It was obvious how much Lee cared for her.

Lee sighed heavily. "I'm going to go sit with her for a while now, then I'll have a talk with the Admiral about it. Until then, don't do anything other than what you've already been doing."

"Yes sir."

Lee headed back to Kara's bedside, only to discover she'd either fallen asleep or back into unconsciousness in the few minutes he'd been gone. He sat down and sighed again. How could they possibly make the decision to kill Kara's baby in order to let her live? For the look he'd seen in her eyes had pleaded with him to save the baby at all costs. How could he possibly allow the baby to die when Kara so obviously wanted it?

He buried his face in his hands and let the tears fall. There would be time for rational thought later.

**TBC**


	19. Chapter 19

WHTMT - chapter 18

**ooooooooooooooooo**

Adama appeared to age visibly as Lee broke the news to him. He sat down on the couch in his office and covered his eyes with a hand. Lee suspected it way his way of hiding tears - Adamas didn't cry, especially not in front of anyone else.

After a long while, he broke the silence. "This is a tough situation." _No kidding dad, you're a real master of the obvious, _Lee thought.

"We have to go with Kara's wishes, you know that," Lee reminded him.

Adama looked at him pointedly. "Even when it means they'll both die?"

Lee nodded stubbornly.

"I thought you'd do anything to save her," Adama said reproachfully.

"I would!" Lee exploded back. "But you don't know her like I do - if we kill her baby, she'll never forgive us."

"I think I know her as well as you do," Adama said, a touch frostily. "I was the one who was here for her after Zack's death. I've seen her go through guilt, anger, despair ... she's a very resilient woman. She'll get through it."

Lee's jaw set resolutely. "She would take her own life ... after killing me of course."

"You really think she'd do that?" Adama asked. "I don't."

"She's changed dad. She's not the same Starbuck who left us."

"And you know this from the brief chat you had on New Kobol?" He asked somewhat sarcastically.

"i know her dad," Lee said simply. "She's changed. Besides, as long as she's coherent enough to understand the situation and make her own decision, it's up to her."

"And when that changes?"

Lee sighed. "Let's cross that bridge when we get there."

Adama shook his head. "I can't believe you're willing to just let her die when we have the means to save her."

Lee stood angrily. "I would move every one of the twelve colonies and that miserable rock down there if it would keep her alive just one day! But I've frakked up enough with her already and I'm not doing it anymore! Time after time I've had chances to be good to her, to be what she needs, and every time I've been selfish and ended up hurting her. I won't do it again," he said firmly. He flushed bright red. "I'm sure you're fully aware of the fact that I love her and I would give my own life to save her if it would."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Adama said softly. "Our girl is tough - maybe she'll make it without needing anyone's help this time."

"I intend on helping her in any way I can, but I want to make sure that they both survive. I know she'll never forgive me if the baby dies, and quite frankly I'll never forgive myself either."

So it was decided that they'd both go talk to her and find out if she was still capable of making the decision herself. They both prayed she was.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Ishay gave them a small smile as they walked into Lifestation together several hours later.

"She just woke up a short while ago," she said. "She's weak but she was able to eat a little and will be able to visit for a few minutes."

"Thank you," Adama said warmly, and she knew he was not only thanking her for the information but also for doing her best to keep Kara alive.

Kara smiled weakly as the two Adama men entered her cubicle area. They were two of her favourite people and she'd missed them greatly in the months they'd been separated.

Adama walked over to the bed and laid a hand gently on her hair. "How are you doing?"

"I've seen better days," she rasped quietly, beginning to cough once again. Every time she tried to talk it stirred up the mucous in her chest and it both itched and ached horribly. Still, these were people she loved and she wanted to be about to talk to them at least a little. She'd sorely missed it.

"Kara," Lee began. "We need to talk to you."

Her eyes turned to Lee as he spoke. His face was grave and pale. The twinkle in his eyes was missing and he looked ... afraid. Kara knew immediately what he was referring to, having overheard a good chunk of the conversation earlier. Her lower lip began to quiver.

Lee stared into her eyes and as he spoke, watched a veil of fear and sadness drop over them. His chest ached like a vise grip pinching his heart ever tighter.

"Don't kill the baby, please," she whispered, eyes filling with tears.

"But Kara, the only way to ensure you get better is to give you this medication."

She shook her head. "No, I don't want my baby to die," she beseeched, laying both arms protectively over her stomach.

"If we don't give it to you, you might not get better. And then ... " The lump in Lee's throat grew and nearly prevented him from finishing. " ... then you might both die."

The tears spilled down her cheeks in two neat rows. "I won't. I can't. I'm Starbuck, remember?" She gave a small, lopsided smile. "Starbuck and Apollo - we never die." She reached for Lee's hand and he took it. "You'll save me won't you? You always do."

Lee blinked back a flood of tears he wished he could shed. If only his father weren't here, he'd take her in his arms, cry with her and promise her absolutely anything.

"I will," he choked out. "I promise." To hell with what his father thought - he sat on the bed beside her and put his arms around her. Her arms came up around his neck and squeezed gently. He could feel her tears dripping down his neck beneath his uniform jacket. That caused whatever restraints he had to break and his tears were freed as well. He buried his face in her somewhat long hair, hoping his father wouldn't notice.

He didn't seem to, or if he did, didn't make any reference to them. He put a hand on Kara's back briefly as she sobbed on Lee's shoulder. "We'll do whatever we can to save your baby Kara. In the meanwhile, get some rest and get better."

She nodded, still clinging to Lee as another fit of coughing wracked her slender frame.

"I'll see you later Commander," he said to Lee. Somehow it had the feeling of being an order even though on the surface it seemed like an innocent comment.

"Yes sir," Lee whispered, not quite trusting his voice.

They sat together for a time until Kara's tears and coughing subsided, then Lee got her a drink of water and a wet cloth to wipe her tear-stained face.

"Don't let our baby die," she whispered after taking a long drink.

Our _baby. She said 'our', _Lee thought. Hers and Sam's. Yes, it was their baby, much as Lee wanted to live in denial and pretend it was his. _She does love him, and now that she's lost him, it's only natural she wants to preserve whatever she has left of him._

"I won't," he assured her, knowing as he made it, that that was a promise he shouldn't be making. There was no guarantee he could keep it.

She began to look tired, and her eyes began to shut in longer and longer blinks. Lee knew he should go and let her rest.

"Do you want me to go now?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "Stay," she whispered, and shut her eyes.

Lee took her hand and squeezed it gently, laying them entwined on the bed beside her.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Roslin stood at the doorway of her school tent, smiling as she watched her students leave. It had been a bittersweet day for her; it was the first day the children had come back for lessons since the cylon occupation, but there were much fewer of them now, as many were either dead or still missing.

Something caught her eye - the glint of the sun reflecting off of something moving towards her. As always, her heart seemed to stop for a moment, then she realized what it was. A person dressed in full military uniform, the buttons on his broad chest reflecting the lowering sun's rays.

William Adama.

Her smile broadened even as one cracked his normally impassive face. He stopped and they stood assessing one another for a moment.

"Bill," she said warmly, eyes sparkling happily.

"It's good to see you Laura," he said gruffly, looking a bit awkward. Roslin impulsively stepped forward and put her arms around his neck.

"It's good to see you too," she said, giving him a squeeze. He returned the hug.

They pulled apart and she led him into the now empty tent where they sat talking of this and that and nothing in particular for a short while. Then there was silence as neither of them knew how to broach the deeper subjects that lie waiting before them.

"You had a rough time of it here, but it seems you held your own," Adama started.

Roslin nodded. "Your Captain Thrace is a very remarkable woman. She was the one who got us through this. If it weren't for her we wouldn't have beat them."

"That she is," Adama agreed firmly. "I just hope she'll survive long enough to see things rebuilt and life back to normal."

"Is she that bad?" Roslin asked worriedly.

Adama sighed. "I'm afraid so."

Her face grew dark with anger. "If I could kill every last one of their shiny, metal asses ..."

Adama started in surprise. "Laura, I never thought you'd be one for such violence."

"Have you talked to her?" she demanded.

Adama shook his head. "She's not up to talking more than a word or two."

"They took her," she exploded. "They were planning on killing her baby and using her for more of their hybrid experiments. The gods alone only know what happened to her in the few days they had her."

Adama looked down at his feet and sighed again. "At least the baby is fine. We're not sure she's going to make it though."

Roslin's hands balled into fists. "If she doesn't, I'll ... I'll ... I don't know what I'll do."

"I know what you can do," he said softly. Her eyes met his questioningly. "Come back with me and lead us again. Baltar's gone and there's no one else to take over."

She shook her head.

"There's no one else," he said imploringly, "and much as you may not have liked the job, you were fantastic at it."

"I have another life now. Teaching was my first love and I'm happy to be back at it."

"There won't be many students though. From what I can tell a lot of people are spooked and want to get off the planet. The repopulation of the fleet is far greater than I would ever have expected it to be."

"I don't blame them a bit," she said, " but that life was tough. I never wanted it, never thought I'd have to do it, and quite frankly I'd be happy never doing it again."

"And this is the woman who tried to steal the election so she could remain president?" he said jocularly.

"You know I only did that because I knew what a disaster it would be to have _him _in charge," she said disapprovingly. "And see how it all turned out?" She spread her arms wide in illustration.

"I know. I was just kidding you."

She smiled. "I've missed that."

"Me too."

There was a small silence as their eyes met.

"Please come back with us. We need you Laura. You're my balance - you keep the other side of things running smoothly."

She seemed to think about that for a moment before answering.

"I might be willing, if I could find someone to replace me soon. Someone _I _choose to be my successor and follow me."

"That's not exactly democratic," he objected. "But considering what happened last time we let the people choose, I'm behind you."

She smiled, and Adama's eyebrow raised. "You have anyone in mind?"

"I believe I do, Admiral, but I'll need a few days to work things out and decide what to do about my school."

"I'll be waiting to hear from you then."

She smiled again. "Goodbye Bill. Thanks for coming to visit." She laid a hand on his cheek briefly and met his eyes. "I've missed you," she whispered.

He took her hand and clasped it in his own large one, pulling it to his mouth and giving it a kiss. "Likewise."

As he got up and headed back to his ship, Roslin wondered how she was going to work out all the details and juggle everything without screwing it all up. She also wondered how it was he'd managed in just a few minutes to convince her to do something she'd sworn never to do - give up doing what she loved to do a job she despised.

There must be something special about William Adama. She only wished she knew what it was.

**TBC**


	20. Chapter 20

WHTMT - chapter 19

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

The next few days were critical for Kara and Lee stayed by her side constantly. He'd recruited one of his pilots to bring him whatever paperwork was required, and he'd changed the flight schedules so he wasn't flying. Fortunately they were back at routine status so the only things on the roster were CAP and training runs for the new recruits. He knew he should be overseeing things personally but he just couldn't bring himself to leave her. Sometimes his father came and sat with them for a short while but he never said anything about Lee shirking his duties so Lee took it as tacit acceptance that what he was doing was okay.

On the fourth day, her health took a drastic turn for the worse. Lee dropped all pretense of working and just sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand as though he'd never let go. Ishay almost had to physically extricate him in order to check on her.

Around the time everyone was thinking about heading to their racks, Adama showed up, a worried look on his face. Ishay met him at Kara's cubicle.

"You said it was urgent," he began, implying there was much she needed to tell him.

"I won't mince words Admiral. She's dying. She slipped into unconsciousness a little while ago and I don't expect her to wake. Her lungs have gone into respiratory distress and she's barely holding on. It's crunch time gentlemen. Do we follow her wishes or are you willing to give me the authority to override and give her the medication?"

Adama and Lee looked at each other. Lee shook his head. "I can't," he said, eyes filling with tears. "I can't do this."

Adama put a hand on his son's shoulder. "We have to save her."

Lee's chin quivered. "I can't lose her, but if we do this, we will anyway," he said softly.

"Well, there's no guarantee it will work," Ishay said, misunderstanding him. "But it's a very powerful drug and I'd be awfully surprised if it didn't kill the infection."

"That's not what I meant. Her body may survive but _she _won't. She won't be the same person we knew."

"That's a chance we have to take," Adama said gently.

Lee turned agonized eyes back to Ishay. "Do we have _any _time left at all?" he choked out, squeezing Kara's hand lovingly.

Ishay took a deep breath before answering. "It's not absolutely critical that she take it now, but within a few hours for sure."

"Can we have that time then?" Lee asked, jumping at this chance.

"Keep your eye on that monitor." She gestured towards the machine that was monitoring Kara's breathing. "If it goes below that red line, call me IMMEDIATELY."

"I understand," Lee whispered, one lone tear making it's way out of his eye and wetting a trail down his cheek.

Adama put an arm around Ishay and turned her towards the exit, giving Lee and Kara privacy.

"Inform me the moment anything happens. Anything at all," he said quietly.

"Understood Admiral," she replied in just as low a tone.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee's tears, now free of any emotional reason not to fall, fell like a waterfall. He kept one eye on the monitor behind her shoulder and one eye on her pale face, the few freckles and moles she had standing out harshly against her white skin.

"Kara," he said brokenly, "oh Kara, please don't leave me. You can't go now, you have to hold on, for your baby's sake, even if not for mine.

Where's that Starbuck 'never quit' spirit? Come on Starbuck, you can pull this off, it's no more difficult than facing eight raiders all on your own, and you've done that and lived to tell the tale. Though you frakking well scared the shit out of me when you disappeared and we couldn't find you." He gave a half chuckle at the memory. "Did you know I was already in love with you back then?" he sighed. "I was. I didn't want to admit it though, which is why I blew up at your over the Colonial Day fiasco. Gods, I was so jealous you were with someone else, I felt like killing someone. Anyone. I'm so sorry I attacked you the way I did - both verbally and physically. I had no right to."

He let go of her hand and let his fingers drift upwards and push back some strands of hair that were partially covering her cheek. It was cold, very cold. "I'm so sorry. I never apologized for my actions, and maybe that's why you took off and ended up in Anders' bed. Then again, maybe I'm reading more into this than there ever was. Maybe you've just always thought I was an arrogant asshole and your reasons for falling in love with him had nothing to do with me.

Either way, it's all done now and I just want you to know I love you. Always have and always will. I _did _mean it that day you came back from Caprica - I was just too scared to admit it. I know you loved Sam and always will, just like you still love Zack, but you need to know I'm here for you and whatever else happens or doesn't happen between us, I'm your friend and I'll help you with your baby however I can. If you'll let me that is."

His feelings overwhelmed him all of a sudden and he couldn't continue. He had so much more he wanted to say, but instead he took her hand in between his own and held it to his mouth as the tears fell.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Admiral Adama, report to Lifestation. Pass the word to the Admiral. Admiral Adama report to Lifestation."

The words woke him immediately. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, scratch that, for the last year or more, since the first attack, and he woke at every sound, his heart pounding in anticipation of combat.

He dressed hurriedly, a sinking feeling beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. He tried to be positive - he _had _asked her to let him know of any change, so perhaps this was good news not bad - but he couldn't help the feeling of melancholy that swept over him at the thought of losing someone so near and dear.

"Admiral, you were called to Lifestation ..." a passing marine tried to pass on the message.

"I know," he interrupted. "On my way there now. Thank you." The marine nodded and they both kept on walking.

He rounded the corner to Kara's cubicle and prepared himself for the worst. The sight that met his eyes was not one he'd prepared himself to see however.

Lee was lying in Kara's bed, eyes shut, and she was snuggled up against him, a little bit of colour in her face for the first time in days.

"Is ... is she ..." he began, somewhat at a loss for words.

Ishay smiled. "Yes. It seemed she's going to make it. Things are still critical but she's improved greatly in the last hour. The Commander called me in here when things began to fluctuate - to be honest, I thought I was going to have to get _him _a bed as well, he was so pale - but there's been definite improvement. It's a miracle."

Adama allowed himself a small smile and a sigh of relief. "We could certainly do with a few more of those these days."

She shrugged. "Maybe we'll get lucky. I'll keep an eye on things and let you know how it goes, but at the moment the prognosis is certainly looking better. We may not have to use the drug after all."

"You've no idea how glad I am to hear that."

"I've some idea," she said, smiling as she nodded lightly at Lee.

"I'll be back in the morning. Don't hesitate to call ..."

"I won't," she assured him, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Thank you," Adama said softly before turning to head back to his quarters. Maybe that quick prayer he'd dashed off before bed before remembering he didn't believe in that hooey actually did help.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_Kara thrashed around on the bed, grinning faces staring down at her. Well, only one really, since it was four copies of the same cylon model, one at each limb._

_"You thought you were strong."_

_"You thought you were tough."_

_"You thought you could beat us."_

_"You thought you were invincible."_

_They all took turns speaking but leaving no pauses between each sentence, almost as if they were one brain._

_"You were wrong," they chorused._

_Kara struggled vainly as Doral laughed, the sound seeming to go on forever as each one picked it up in turn._

_"Don't kill my baby!" she begged, sure she knew what was coming. "Please, don't kill my baby. I'll do whatever you want if you let my baby live."_

_"What do you think we want from you?" one of them asked softly._

_"Do you think we want you for one of the farms?" another one put in._

_"What exactly is it you think your destiny is Kara?"_

_"You want me to have one of your human/cylon hybrid babies," she said tearfully._

_"You think we're going to take our your baby and replace it with one of our own? A hybrid?"_

_She nodded._

_One of the Doral's leaned down close to her ear and whispered, "we don't have to."_

"No, please don't kill my baby," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks through her closed eyelids.

Lee woke to the feel of her thrashing around in his arms. "It's alright Kara, we aren't going to hurt the baby." He stroked her damp hair softly and brushed it off her forehead. She continued to fight him though.

"Don't take my baby - I'll do anything!"

"Kara!" Lee said firmly. "We're not going to hurt you or the baby. You're getting better - we don't have to give you the medicine."

Her eyes popped open suddenly, wide and full of fear.

"You were dreaming," he said softly. "It's okay, you're going to be alright. I'll take care of you." He leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She went limp in his arms and snuggled up closer. Lee's heart swelled with love. He'd always loved her as Starbuck - the strong, intimidating, take-no-shit-from-no-one woman, but this woman, the fragile, breakable woman who was turning to him for help was melting his heart from the inside out. Secretly he'd always wished she would break down and come to him - want him to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay, but he never thought it would happen. She was tough, she was strong, she didn't need anyone. Then there was Samuel. She'd briefly turned to Lee but it was for physical comfort only. She'd found someone else to take care of her emotional needs, and Lee had been devastated that it hadn't been him she'd chosen.

Now the tables had turned though. She didn't have Sam anymore, and she needed someone - more than she'd ever needed anyone. And Lee was going to be the one who was there for her, no matter what.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I know nothing of medicine and have never watched medical dramas, so if the situation here is a little out of character, please suspend your disbelief and try to enjoy anyway. I avoided any details because I knew I'd screw them up. Thanks for your patience!

And thanks for all the kind reviews. It's nice to know so many people are enjoying this story. It's turned out much different than I had originally intended, but I'm enjoying watching it play itself out as much as you are. Thank you:)


	21. Chapter 21

WHTMT - chapter 20

Sorry this took so long to update - company staying at our house two weekends in a row and school's out now - less time for me to write. :)

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

"Kara ... Kara ... are you okay?"

She jolted awake suddenly, feeling something cold and clammy on her face. Her heart began to pound, then she realized it was just Lee with a cold cloth on her forehead. He was wiping the sweat away from her face and stood looking at her like she was the only person in the world.

"Lee?" she asked tentatively, throat still scratchy and full of phlegm.

"You were dreaming."

She shuddered at the memory. "They took me," she said quietly.

"The cylons?"

"I think they wanted my baby." She laid her hand protectively over her belly, feeling the baby move within her.

Lee laid a gentle hand over hers. "No one is going to take your baby, I promise you that. If anyone tries, they'll have to go through me first." Their eyes locked and Kara smiled gratefully at him. Then she cleared her throat.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are you being so good to me?"

Lee frowned at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The last time we talked ... before Sam died ... you were ," she struggled to find the right words, "really angry with me. I figured you were upset because I left Galactica to go to the planet."

"I was," he admitted honestly. "I think I was more upset that you left without saying goodbye though, than the fact of your deciding to leave." He hung his head, blushing faintly. "I'm sorry I was such an ass that time ... I really didn't mean ..."

"So what happened then? You've gone from seemingly hating me to becoming my knight in shining armour."

He smiled ruefully at her. "I realized something in the time we were gone."

"What's that?"

"I missed you," he said simply. "We've often fought but we've always made up and still been a part of each other's lives. I missed having you around Kara." His thumb unconsciously stroked the back of her hand as he spoke.

"You missed having a screw-up like me in your life ? It must have been really boring without having all my messes to clean up." She was only half-joking but Lee took her seriously.

"It was. I never realized how exciting my life was when you were around until you weren't anymore." His eyes were piercing, sapphire blue, seeing right through to her soul. Only Lee had the ability to do that - Zack and Sam had each had their endearing qualities and had understood her in ways no one else had, but no one could pierce through her armour like Lee could. Especially now when she was so vulnerable.

A sudden pang of sadness shot through her as she remembered she wasn't first in his life anymore.

"I thought you had Dee to keep things exciting," she said, trying not to sound jealous.

Lee's eyes dropped away from hers. "I don't anymore." His voice dropped to an undertone. "Not that she ever did."

"What happened?"

"She didn't make it. The cylons destroyed the raptor she was in before I could save it."

Kara bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She knew what it was like to lose someone you loved, and words just weren't adequate. She linked her fingers with his over her stomach, and squeezed. He lifted his eyes up to look into hers again. "I thought I'd lost you too," he said softly.

She squeezed again. "You're going to have to work awfully hard to lose me Adama. We Thrace's don't give up easily."

"You're telling me." He squeezed back.

Neither of them realized their hands were still locked together till a discreet voice caught them by surprise.

"What are you doing up at this hour? It's 0300." Ishay gave them a mock stern look.

"We were ... " Lee began, searching helplessly for a good excuse.

" ... I had a nightmare, and I just needed to talk about it."

Ishay poured a glass of fresh water and held it up for Kara to drink. "Well, you get back to sleep young lady. You need to make sure to get enough rest to get better and keep your baby healthy."

She turned to Lee. "And you, stop keeping my patient awake."

Lee gave her a mock apologetic look back. "Yes ma'am."

Ishay nodded brusquely and strode off, leaving them alone.

"I guess I should go ..." Lee made as if to pull his hand away but Kara tightened her grip on it.

"Stay," she whispered and it was a plea Lee couldn't refuse. It wasn't like he didn't want to stay, he just didn't want to force himself on her.

He climbed back into bed beside her, hands still locked together. She immediately tucked her head in the space between his shoulder and neck and Lee felt the softness of her hair against his cheek.

He couldn't help but feel that though there was something very odd about this - Kara had just lost the man she loved and whose child she was pregnant with, and he'd just lost someone he'd loved as well - still, it felt amazingly right to have her in his arms, snuggled up against him. Despite all the despair, the fighting, the loss of the past two years, Lee was content with life - for the first time.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

It was several weeks before Kara was able to be up and around again. Her lungs began to clear slowly, but she was very weak and spent nearly ten days on IV to make sure she and the baby were well-nourished.

Then came the day when she was finally allowed to leave Lifestation.

"I expect to see you back here in three days for a checkup and blood test," Ishay said sternly, "and if you run into any problems - ANY AT ALL - you come immediately. You're only three months away from delivering a healthy baby and I don't want you to do anything to screw that up."

Kara threw her a vaguely dirty look. _Yeah, and I got pneumonia on purpose because I love being on death's doorstep._

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she takes it easy," Lee said, taking her arm. She threw him a dirty look as well. _I'm not an invalid, _she thought. _Oh but you are, _her subconscious countered. _For the first time in your life you need someone to take care of you._

"Don't you have work to do?" she asked him, semi-seriously.

"Yes, and you're going to help me," he beamed.

She rolled her eyes. "I knew it. You're going to make me do all the paperwork while you get to have all the fun."

"How about this for a deal; after the baby is born, I'll babysit for you if you take all my CAP shifts," Lee offered.

Kara weighed it for a moment. "Sounds good to me. I can't wait to get back into the cockpit ..." She trailed off, realizing she was revealing more than she wanted Lee to know.

Lee, for his part, had always been able to read between the lines when it came to her - a necessary skill since she had an aversion to opening up to people.

"Deal." He smiled apologetically. "To be honest, I missed it while I was on the Pegasus myself."

"How long ... I mean, what happened ... why ..." Kara stammered, a hundred questions all trying to break free at once.

"It's a long story," Lee said, sadness crossing his face briefly. "Let's get settled in our quarters and I'll tell it to you."

"Our quarters? Are you staying with me?"

He stopped and turned to her in surprise. "Of course. I promised to take care of you and I intend to keep that promise."

"But you have your own quarters - private ones right?"

"Yes, but it only has a single bunk, and no offense, but I'm not sure the three of us can fit." He blushed.

"We did it in Lifestation," she said softly, eyes pleading with him.

"Yeah, but you're only going to get bigger."

She smacked him playfully.

"Well, it _is _the truth," he said shrugging.

"Please? I don't think I could sleep alone," she begged, voice dropping to a whisper at the end.

Those beautifully sad hazel-green eyes tore at his heartstrings. Why fight it? Even if they slept in a regular bunkroom, they'd probably end up in the same bed anyway. And much as he might protest, he was happy to be squished, so long as it was by her.

"Okay, I'll take you there and then go back for your stuff," he said, putting a hand on her lower back to guide her.

"You think I've forgotten the way to the CAG's quarters?" she teased. "I did live there for a while you know."

"i remember. I just want to make sure you get there safely."

"You probably just want to get me started on the mountain of paperwork you've been avoiding while you go have fun."

"Caught me," he replied, a cheeky grin on his face as he raised his arms in surrender.

Just then they turned a corner and stopped, Adama senior standing before them.

"Kara," he said warmly, a big smile splitting his face. "It's good to see you up and about." His eyes traveled down her body, taking in the new curves he wasn't used to. "It looks good on you," he said, nodding at her stomach.

"Sure doesn't _feel _good," she grumbled half-heartedly.

"I have it on good authority that that ends soon enough, and you forget all about the awful parts once you've got the baby safe in your arms."

Kara looked from one man to the other.

Adama senior nodded. "Caroline threw up the whole nine months when she was pregnant with Lee. She swore she'd never do it again, but there she was, three years later with another baby in her arms."

"Well, I'll check in with you in about three months and let you know then," she said, a trifle sarcastically.

"I look forward to it." He came forward and gave her a quick hug. Then he turned to Lee.

"Take care of our girl." It sounded suspiciously like an order, but Lee just nodded, smiling.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"So, you want to get started?" Lee gestured at a stack of papers on his desk.

Her mouth hung open in shock. "I thought you were just kidding," she said slowly.

"Well, you might as well do _something _while I go collect your stuff," he replied cajolingly, coming around and pulling back the chair for her. "Besides, you've been away from all this stuff way too long, and I don't have an assistant. I promise I'll let you do some of the fun stuff ..."

She gave him a sidelong smirk and sat down. He did have a point - she had missed it, even the endless hours of paperwork.

Lee leant over her shoulder to push a few sheets of paper in front of her.

"You can start here," he said softly.

His breath tickled her ear and the spot where his shoulder met hers tingled with unchecked electricity. Kara sighed as she picked up the pen. Living with Lee was going to be a lot tougher than she expected.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee stood outside the hatch door he'd just shut behind him and slumped against the metal. His whole body felt like it was on fire after just a few seconds touching her, and he had to will himself to stop thinking of her so as not to proclaim his desire to the rest of the ship.

He needed to be there as her friend - she neither needed nor wanted anything else from him, especially now.

**TBC**


	22. Chapter 22

WHTMT - chapter 21

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

The next few days were absolute torture for Lee. Being with the woman he'd loved for over a year, working with her, spending leisure time with her, sleeping with her body pressed close against his, and yet being able to do nothing but return to that platonic friendship they'd shared. There wasn't even any flirting going on the way there used to be. It may have been good for Kara, but it was killing Lee.

He'd woken up that morning with an erection the size of a viper and had hurried off to the shower before she came fully awake and noticed. He'd been dreaming of her - of them - and had just about gotten to the good part when the general alarm signaling the beginning of the day shift had gone off. Even after spending a full minute under the cold spray he hadn't been able to get himself under control so he'd turned the water to hot and finished off the job, allowing his waking thoughts to continue what his subconscious thoughts had started. He moaned softly as he imagined the ecstasy he would be feeling if it was her he was inside of instead of his cupped hand.

He wondered, as he washed himself, whether or not this would happen again, and if so, what would happen if he wasn't interrupted? Bad enough for him to finish in bed with her and have her know what kind of dream he was dreaming, but what if unconsciously he were to touch her, caress her - let her know that _she_ was the one who was causing these desires in him?

He sighed and stepped out of the shower, resolving to try harder to keep her out of his mind. Difficult though, when she was everywhere. Her scent was on everything he touched and smelled - on his pillow, in his room, on his clothes - even in the shower. His conscious mind might be able to fight it but obviously his unconscious mind was having a harder time.

She it seemed, was blissfully unaware of his turmoil. She was fitting in as though she'd never left, even though much of the crew was new to her - transfers from the Pegasus. Lee had to admit Kara_ was_ making his job much easier. She may have joked about it but she made a lot of the paperwork disappear like magic, and she was certainly a fine teacher. There were many new recruits and Lee and Kara complemented each other - Kara teaching theory in the classroom, Lee leading them in practice. It was pretty much the only place they weren't together and the only time Lee had to focus enough on something else that he could forget about her for a few hours. Almost anyway - he may have had to work hard with the nuggets but out there he could hardly help but think of Apollo and Starbuck - the king and queen who'd once owned the sky. He missed flying with her, even when she did things that scared the frak out of him.

It ended up being a long afternoon. He'd put two classes of nuggets through their paces and done a CAP shift for a sick pilot as well as his own. Nine hours in the cockpit altogether and he was exhausted. He stripped off his flightsuit and headed to the bathroom to wash up before getting started on the report he owed his father in the morning. It was already after 2200hrs and he was beat; tempted to hit the sack and get up early to write it. But Lee, being the conscientious person he was, sat down at his desk to begin, glancing over at the bump in the bed and feeling a quick stab of envy that she was able to sleep already.

The report was already written. He blinked and looked again - yes, it was done and ready to be handed in, in Kara's slightly messy though still readable script.

He smiled as he stripped down to his underwear and climbed into bed. He tried to be as still as possible and not disturb the covers, but Kara rolled over and looked at him.

"Took you long enough to get here," she teased, but the look in her eyes was one of disquiet. She'd obviously been waiting for him to come before she fell asleep.

"Sorry - busy day." He smiled. "Thanks for writing up that report. You didn't have to do that for me."

She shrugged. "Nothing better to do, and you were busy."

"Well thank you anyway." He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. "It made my night."

"Glad to hear it. Now would you stop yakking and let me get to sleep?" she feigned crankiness.

"Of course, of course, sorry," he apologized, still grinning.

She rolled over again and flinched.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Kink in my shoulder."

"Sit up and I'll massage it out for you," he offered.

She half-turned to face him. "You don't have to do that."

"I owe you one - for the report."

"Right, that. Well, okay, if you're sure."

Lee sat up and waited. She gave him an appraising look to see if he was serious then pushed herself up to a sitting position - something that was getting harder and harder as her belly took up more space.

His hands on her shoulders felt like magic. She groaned and leaned back into it as he dug his thumbs in, flinching again as he found the kink. He worked it slowly, gently at first then dug deeper and massaged all around it till everything was loose again.

He kept at it though, moving all around her back and loosening up sore muscles everywhere. She began to feel warm and wet at her centre as he leaned in and breathed on the back of her neck, making the hairs stand on end.

Lee struggled to control his breathing as the feel of her body under his hands drove him crazy with desire. Unconsciously he leaned closer and breathed her scent in deeply, all tiredness forgotten. His hands slid from her shoulders down her upper arms, stopping as he felt the goosebumps rise. He leaned in just enough to brush his lips along the back of her neck, letting his tongue slide beneath them to lick her warm skin. She jumped at the contact, electricity flowing through her, causing every nerve to be on edge. Her nipples peaked as she stiffened.

"Lee," she breathed, panting slightly.

He pulled back as if suddenly aware of what he was doing and let go of her. She immediately moved away and turned to face him, eyes wide and full of shock.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly, sounding as though she couldn't believe what had just happened.

"I ... I uh ... I'm sorry," he said, eyes downcast. "I'm not sure what came over me." He stood up and walked across the room, grabbing his clothes off the couch on his way by.

"Lee," she called after him quietly. He stopped but didn't turn around.

"Don't go," she pleaded.

Lee's shoulders tensed and he gave a big sigh. "Kara," he said, turning around, "I just ... I don't know ... I can't do this." Frustration was evident on every line of his face.

"Can't do what?" she whispered.

"Can't do_ this_," he answered, motioning between them. "I can't be this close to you and not ..."

"Not what?" she pushed, crossing her arms over her belly as if to keep the butterflies that were suddenly fluttering around in there at bay.

"Don't you know yet?" Lee said, walking towards her. "Have you no idea how I feel?"

They stared at one another for a moment before she answered, eyes searching deeply.

"Tell me."

Lee sighed. It was now or never. He'd wanted to tell her the truth for so long - as long as he'd known her actually - but the words had never come out right. Facing Kara was a daunting thing at the best of times, but telling her something intensely emotional and personal? Something she might not want to hear? He'd never been able to bring himself to do it.

"I love you." Her eyes widened. "I love you Kara. Gods help me, I know I shouldn't but I do." His eyes were a deep, dark blue - unfathomable to her gaze.

He sat on the bed next to her and looked down. "I'm sorry I kissed you - I shouldn't have let myself ..."

"Don't be sorry," she interrupted.

His eyes lifted to meet hers, now clouded with confusion.

A solitary tear wound it's way down her cheek. "I don't ... I mean, I do care, I just ..."

"You do?" Lee interjected hopefully.

Kara got up and began pacing the room. "I do, it's just ..."

"You don't want more." His face fell.

She came to stand before him. Now was the time for complete honesty - no more lies and assumptions.

"There was a time when that was all I wanted," she began in a small voice, "but things didn't work out and I moved on."

"With Anders," he said flatly.

She gave him a level stare. "He made it clear how he felt about me."

"And I didn't."

"I _wish_ you would have ... but I wasn't willing to wait for you to get your head put on straight," she admitted. "Sometimes you seemed to care, sometimes you didn't, sometimes I thought you loved me, sometimes I thought you hated me," she shrugged. "I just couldn't live like that."

He looked up at her sadly. "I shouldn't have done that to you."

Her eyes roamed around the room apologetically. "It wasn't just your fault. We've both been masters at hurting each other and never telling each other the truth."

He stood up to meet her face to face. "So now it's time?"

She nodded.

"I care for you, you care for me. The past doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is we're together again." His voice was soft and loving and he took her hands in his as he spoke. He leaned in close enough that she could smell the mint on his breath. Then he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers softly, invitingly.

At first she responded, his words and touch mesmerizing her. She leaned in and pressed harder, opening her mouth slightly to allow his tongue to tease hers. The rush that went through her caused tingles from the roots of her hair right down to her toes. Then she pulled away. Lee held her hands tighter, eyes opening as he felt her try to escape.

"Lee ... no ..." she whispered, trying to free herself but he held firm.

"Kara ..." he began, bewildered at her sudden change of heart.

"Please," she begged, "I can't." And she pulled their joined hands up to his chest and pushed him away.

The memories came flooding back like a tidal wave and Lee let go of her, stepping back quickly.

"So it's like that? You still don't want me?" The hurt look in his eyes was tenfold what it had been the last time she'd pushed him away in the middle of a passionate encounter.

"I do," she whispered. "I do want this. I do want you ... I just can't. Not yet." Her eyes filled with tears and for once she didn't try to hold them back and be strong.

Lee's heart broke, both from sadness at the look in them, and from happiness that he'd finally broken through her walls and gotten her to trust him enough to open up.

His jaw quivered. "It's too soon?"

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I'm not sure I'm ready to let him go yet." The tears flowed down her cheeks and Lee cupped her face, wiping them away with his thumbs.

"It's okay. I understand," he said softly, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

She leaned forward suddenly and buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He threw his arms around her and a few tears escaped his eyes as well as he let his head rest on hers, eyes closing.

"Don't worry Kara honey," he whispered eventually. "I'll be here. No matter how long it takes, I'll be here."

**TBC**


	23. Chapter 23

WHTMT - chapter 22

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Things improved as the days went by. Lee, knowing there was hope if only he waited patiently, was much happier and at ease with Kara. And Kara, knowing Lee wasn't going to push her for anything more than friendship, was much more relaxed as well.

They were both comfortable enough with each other, in fact, that their relationship had returned to the solid, secure thing it had been back in the early days of their retreat. Back when they'd trusted each other unwaveringly and had considered the other their best friend. Before circumstances, differing personalities, and other people had torn them apart.

They still slept in the same room - the same bed in fact, but Lee kept his distance, trying to reassure her that there was no pressure though the physical attraction was as strong as ever. He found it difficult to find space in the bed now, given her constantly growing belly.

He watched her still, when she was busy and he thought she didn't notice. There was more changing in her than just her stomach. And the changes weren't just physical either. She was getting less argumentative and smiling much more. There was something indefinable as well - something he could feel but couldn't describe. Thankfully he didn't have to, because the only way he could think of was to say she was very un-Starbuck-like, and much more Kara-like. She still kept up the Starbuck mask while working, but she let her guard down much more when they were alone. He didn't know if that was because she'd learned from continually losing people she cared about that intimacy and openness were incredibly important, or whether Sam had found the key to the inner Kara and set her free, but either way, he was glad of the change.

He noticed she fingered the sparkling ring on her finger - it was the only one she'd ever had from Sam - much more lately than she had at first. She had a contemplative look on her face then, and he wondered if she was reliving memories of him or if she was trying to make a decision of some kind. That debate was solved for him one night when he walked into his quarters while she was praying.

" ... the souls of Zack Adama, Karl Agathon and Samuel Anders. Hold them in your hands and keep them safe from harm."

She stopped and took a deep breath then slipped her ring off.

"And help Sam understand that I will always love him and thank him for what he did for me, but it's time for me to move on."

She lay the ring carefully on the cloth beside her idols.

"There are many more who've died and gone to you, but there are many of us still suffering here. Be with us and guide us as we strive to conquer our enemies and find a way to live. So say we all."

She closed the cloth over the idols gently, folding it in a very precise and careful manner. She tucked it in her locker down at the bottom under her spare boots.

Lee watched through the crack of the hatch, slightly embarrassed at intruding on something meant so obviously to be private. He cleared his throat and banged the hatch open noisily, signaling to her that he was there.

She jumped and shut the locker quickly.

"Oh, you're back already."

"Meeting didn't take as long as I thought it would." He smiled. "You going to bed?" He looked over at a pile of clothing on the desk.

"I was just going to shower first. If that's alright with you," she added, grabbing them and holding them to her chest.

"Of course. Go ahead."

"Will you ... be here when I get out?" she asked shyly, eyes deep and dark.

He smoldered in them for a moment before answering. "I'll be right here," he said, walking over to the desk beside her. "I've got flight schedules to begin."

"Sorry, I should have ..." she began.

He brushed it aside. "Not your job. You do enough already. Go, enjoy your shower." He put a hand on her lower back and gave her a gentle push.

She came out fifteen minutes later, hair wet but combed, looking and smelling freshly scrubbed.

"You're still here." She sounded surprised, and Lee wondered why she would be doubting him.

"I said I'd be here. I'm not planning on going anywhere." Their eyes met and he could see relief written plainly in hers. She clearly wasn't referring to just this particular moment.

"Goodnight Lee." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Goodnight. I'll be there soon. My turn to get clean." He smirked as he got up and headed for the shower.

He emerged shortly wearing nothing but a loosely-slung towel. Kara watched discreetly as the towel came off and a pair of fresh shorts went on. He truly was a beautiful man - from top to bottom, and everything in between.

He crawled under the covers, still warm and slightly damp, hair in messy spikes since he forgot to comb it. He squeezed over to the side to give Kara lots of room but no sooner had he gotten comfortable when he felt her slide against him.

"Do you need more space?" he whispered, "because I can..."

"No," she answered quietly. "I need you."

Lee's heart thudded noisily in his chest as she lay her head on his shoulder and gently placed her arm across his chest. One of her legs tangled with both of his and he felt her belly pressing against his hip. He shifted slightly, not quite sure what to do. Not sure if this really _was _an overture for something more or just a need for a reassuring cuddle.

"Hold me," she whispered, so he did.

Though his heart still beat painfully at her proximity, a warm, peaceful feeling began to engulf him. He kissed her damp hair gently and began to feel tears trickling down his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked, one hand rubbing delicate circles on her back.

"Nothing," she murmured. "Everything." The tears continued to fall but Lee knew her well enough not to push. The fact that she was willing to cry on his shoulder was a miracle enough for now.

Eventually the tears subsided and she slid her hand across his chest to wipe her eyes.

"Sorry," she whispered, hand creeping back to where it had been before.

"No need." He could feel a tickling on his chest so he looked down to see what she was up to. Her thumb was rubbing the spot where her engagement ring used to be. He had the distinct feeling she had something to say, so he waited.

"Lee, I'm so confused. I just don't know what I want," she said tearfully, voice wavering.

"I'm not surprised," he offered, one arm still holding her tightly while the other continued to rub circles. "You've been through so much in the last few months ... I only wish I could have been there for you when you needed me."

"It's not that." She shook her head slightly. "I mean, part of it was tough, yes ... but Laura, and the Chief ... all of Sam's buddies ... they were there for me. I had lots of help." She pushed herself up onto her elbow. "You're the problem. You've always been the problem. It's just more complicated now."

"How do you mean?"

"I love you Lee. I've always loved you. Frak - I think I've been in love with you right from the moment Zack introduced us."

Lee felt as though all the air had been punched out of his lungs.

"I've always wanted this - between us - even though I acted like I didn't, but then things got so frakked up I didn't even think we could find our way back to being friends."

His hand strayed to her face where he played with some loose hairs, ostensibly pulling them behind her ears, but lingering far longer than necessary.

"Somehow we did though," he said tenderly.

"Now that we finally have our chance, I don't know what to do." A tear slipped out of her eye and rolled slowly down her cheek. "I want this to happen, I really do, but every time I feel the baby move, I think of Sam and suddenly it's not so clear anymore."

"Our lives really are frakked up aren't they?" he said, a small smile on his face. "I can tell you this though. I love you Kara, and nothing in the universe can change that - I know - I've tried not to, but it just didn't work." He placed his hand on her swollen belly. "I'll be here for you, as your friend, boss, lover ... whatever you need. I'm not letting you go again. I've done that twice now and both times I've regretted it. So no matter how long it takes, I _will_ be waiting for you. And if you need someone to help you with the baby, giving birth or raising it, I'll be here for you. This child may not be mine but because it's a part of you, I will love and cherish it."

By the time he finished speaking, the tears were running freely down her cheeks, and Lee himself could feel the sharp prickle as they gathered behind his eyes. The baby moved beneath his hand then and the battle was lost. The tears began to fall.

Kara wiped the tears from his cheek gently - a contrast to the way she'd often touched his face.

"I love you Lee Adama." She leaned forward and brushed her lips softly against his. He responded, gently at first, but the kiss gained momentum and deepened quickly. He withdrew his hand from her stomach and grasped her head, fingers twining in her still-damp hair.

Mouths opened, tongues touched and played together, hungrily re-exploring territory they'd only briefly explored the last time. As things began to get intense, Lee pulled back.

"Hey, slow down," he said. Suddenly he became aware that those might not have been the best words to say at this moment.

She pulled back as well, a confused look on her face. _At least it's not hurt, _he thought gratefully, and figured he'd better watch his choice of words from now on.

"Are you sure you're ready for more?" he asked carefully, stroking her cheek lightly.

She smiled in relief. "I'm not sure, to tell you the truth." She looked ruefully down at her overly large tummy. "I'm not sure how easy it would be ..."

"There are ways ..." Lee winked. "But I don't want to rush you into anything."

"Are you sure? I mean ... I don't want to disappoint you ..." she said apologetically.

"Kara, I've been waiting for this since the day I met you. You're not the only one who fell in love so quickly you know." He chuckled. "I'm sure I can wait a little longer. There's always the shower you know."

She slapped him playfully. "Lee Adama! Are you trying to tell me you ..."

He nodded, and she stopped, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well, I had to do _something_ ..."

She giggled and lay her head back down on his shoulder. "You're a pervert, you know that?"

"Uh huh," he mumbled, kissing her hair.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"You wouldn't," he said confidently.

She pulled the trigger. "Oh yes I would." She blew delicately on the barrel of her gun and smiled as she reloaded it.

The other pilot in the transport cowered in fear as he watched the blood trickle out of every orifice in his buddy's head.

"Now, I need to get to Galactica. Are you going to take me there or are you going to join your friend?"

"But you're ..." he stammered incoherently.

"No, I'm not." She sat down at the copilot's controls, still aiming the gun at his head. "Are you going to take me there or do I have to fly myself?"

"But if you're not ... how can you ...?"

"I'm sure I can figure it out."

He pulled on his helmet with shaking fingers and began the pre-launch sequence, silently sending up a prayer to the gods.

"That's better." She smiled. "Now hurry up - I have a date with destiny."

**TBC**


	24. Chapter 24

WHTMT - chapter 23

Sorry for the delay everyone. I usually try to get a chapter up every week, but I got a little sidetracked with things last week. Thanks for being patient. :)

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee kissed her slowly, savouring every inch of her mouth as his fingers twined in her hair. His blood boiled in his veins and he wanted nothing more than to enter her as quickly as possible but he was determined to take her as slowly as he could.

The tension between them had grown exponentially in the few days since they'd declared their love for one another and the desire to consummate it had been almost unbearable for Lee. But he'd waited, knowing she had to be the one to initiate things.

She'd climbed into bed with him a little while earlier that night and had snuggled up like usual. Then out of nowhere her hand had begun to stroke his bare chest, the fine hairs tickling her fingers. She'd let her fingers explore a little further and began to take deep breaths, drinking in the very masculine scent of him. It was one she was all-too familiar with, having found it intoxicating since the first time she'd been close enough to smell him.

"Make love to me," she'd whispered and Lee had had to lift up his head and look her in the eyes to know whether she really meant it or not.

She had, and had kissed him - not wildly and passionately like the last time they'd nearly made love, but with sincere love and desire. Lee responded, lips firmly planting themselves on hers as his fingers came up to cup her head and pull her closer.

Their mouths opened and she slipped her tongue into his, delicately probing his tongue till he groaned with pleasure. He shifted uncomfortably at the pressure in his shorts.

His other hand slipped off her back and came up to her face, softly tucking stray strands of golden hair behind her ear.

"Are you sure you want this?" he whispered.

She slid her hand up his chest and along his jawline, now prickly with stubble, to cup his cheek.

"I've never wanted anything more," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him, much more insistently this time.

As their bodies tangled, Lee felt the baby moving within her. He felt a pang of jealousy then tried to imagine it being his baby in order to quell it. He rolled her onto her side gently and slowly slid her oversize tank off, fingers exploring her creamy-white skin on their way up.

He stopped moving and drank in his fill of her, eyes taking in the swollen breasts and hardened red nipples. They were much darker than usual - he knew, he'd seen her naked in the head often enough.

He cupped her left breast and squeezed gently, thumb stroking the nipple till she moaned and broke out in goosebumps. He lowered his head and drew it into his mouth, sucking gently till, suddenly, he was surprised by the few drops of milky liquid emanating from it. He pulled back, a little startled, and she looked down to see what was stopping him.

Her eyes widened slightly as she touched the nipple gingerly and saw a few more drops appear.

Lee smiled shyly. "Can't be too much longer now, can it?"

"It's almost two months away still," she whispered.

"Well, I guess your body's getting ready already."

"Guess so." It was barely even a whisper.

Lee could feel her discomfort talking about it and sought for a way to distract her.

He slid up and kissed her on the lips gently, then started a trail down her neck, kissing every inch of skin, though skipping the nipples this time. Her breathing became heavier and she grabbed his head with one hand, twining her fingers in the short, spiky hair.

He worked his way across her stomach, his hand stroking her swollen belly in counterpoint to his lips tickling. She began to squirm and her free hand flew down to her underwear and began to tug it down.

"Let me," Lee whispered huskily, linking his fingers in the waistband and gently pulling them down. Most of his fantasies had involved undressing her but he'd honestly never thought it would happen in reality. He'd have to rethink his fantasies somewhat though, as she'd never been pregnant in any of them and he couldn't be doing things as roughly as he'd always imagined doing them.

After removing her underwear, he slipped his own off, giving a groan of pleasure at the sudden freedom.

Kara moaned as his fingers touched her centre gently and her hips began to thrust against him as he parted her damp folds and began to work a slow but steady rhythm.

Before long she was panting and then she suddenly stiffened and began to shake as her orgasm took hold of her.

"Lee ... oh Lee," she moaned, body bucking hard as her legs clutched his hand tightly.

Eventually she stilled and her muscles loosened, allowing him to take his hand away. He leaned up and kissed her lips, tasting the salt where she'd began to sweat under his ministrations.

"Gods that felt good," she murmured, body sated temporarily. The smell and feel of Lee's body so close was making the pitch of her desire rise quickly though, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she was ready for him again.

"I'm glad," he murmured back, kissing her cheek and hairline on his way to nibbling on her ear.

"It's been so long ..." she said, eyes closing in pleasure.

"Then let's fix that, shall we?"

He climbed over her gingerly and tucked himself in behind her, one hand tracing over her hip. In this position it was almost possible to believe she wasn't pregnant - she still had that luscious curve at her waistline that he'd always loved. He stroked it almost with reverence and allowed his hand to drift upwards along her side to her breast.

She arched back into him and he pushed her hair aside to nibble on the back of her neck, body unconsciously pressing hard against her.

She shivered at the feel of him against her buttocks and began to shift until he was at her opening.

He groaned, feeling the wetness enveloping him as he pressed closer against her.

"Now," she whispered, one arm sliding back over him to grip his buttocks and pull him closer.

He gently pushed her thighs a little further apart and entered her slowly, her warmth and tightness nearly making him come right then and there. An involuntary cry escaped his lips before he could stop it. She felt as wonderful as he'd always imagined she would.

He'd never have admitted it at the time - would probably rather have died - but every time he made love to Dee, it had been Kara he fantasized about. Dee had been an attractive, nice woman but she hadn't made his heart race and his blood catch fire the way Kara always had. Even in the times he hated her, he wanted her. Not just for his own satisfaction, but because he wanted them to feel what it was like to fly together, knowing instinctively that their bodies' dance would be as exhilarating and beautiful as it was in the sky in their vipers. He had wanted more than anything to share this intimacy with her, but since she'd always been elusive and unavailable, he'd had to make do with poor substitutes.

She moved against him, creating a rhythm that was good for her, judging by the small whimpers escaping from her. He fell into the same rhythm and his moans echoed her whimpers.

He breathed carefully, slowly, trying to calm himself enough to give her the pleasure he'd always wanted to before succumbing himself. Fortunately he didn't have to try too hard as she was already very close.

She moaned loudly and bit her lip, trying to hold off just a little longer, the anticipation of orgasm nearly as good as the real thing. Soon it overwhelmed her though, and she gave an incoherent cry as her body began to spasm.

Lee's world began to spin. He'd imagined her throbbing around him as he'd held himself in hand, but it wasn't anything like the real thing. Ripples of pleasure washed over him and he felt himself draw close to the edge.

Her body began to slow it's wild bucking so Lee slipped his hand off her hip and began to stroke her in firm circles.

She moaned his name a few times as her body renewed it's insistent pulsing, orgasm drawing out longer and longer.

Lee cried out her name and squeezed his eyes shut as he came, releasing everything deep inside her.

"Kara ... oh Kara," he whispered over and over as their bodies slowed and finally stilled completely.

She relaxed against him, panting as she tried to regain her breath. Small beads of sweat appeared at her hairline and Lee kissed her delicately there, tasting her saltiness.

They lay still for a few minutes, not moving, not talking, till Kara felt him slide out of her. She turned over and buried herself in the crook of his arm, feeling more comfortable and at peace than she had in ... well, as long as she could remember.

Lee brushed the sweaty hair off her forehead and gave her a loving kiss on the top of her head.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you," she whispered back, sliding an arm across his chest and pulling him close.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Adama was a man who took risks. Usually calculated ones but sometimes he pulled a 'Starbuck' and flew by the seat of his pants.

This was not one of those times.

In fact this was a time for caution. Extreme caution if his gut hunch was correct.

He'd been in CIC when the call had come through. Spike, one of the transfers from the Pegasus, had called in after being missing for five days. Everyone in CIC had applauded, relieved that he and his ship were still intact. But Adama's gut told him something was wrong. There were no low undertones to his voice. That didn't bode well - it meant he was scared, no matter how normal he was trying to sound.

He'd given the okay for landing, but he'd also discreetly arranged for security to be present, and he himself had decided to head down to the hangar bay to meet it.

His hunch had proved right.

Spike emerged from the Raptor as the hatch hissed open, covered in blood, face white as a ghost. How he'd even managed to _land_ the bird in such a state was amazing.

_She_ came out next. Sharon. Boomer... the cylon he'd befriended who'd tried to kill him.

Adama felt a rush of revulsion mixed with curiosity at how she'd managed to survive and find her way here.

All the guns were pointed at her, cocked and ready to fire. Six out of the eight marines had been present on Galactica when her former incarnation had shot Adama, and the others had been thoroughly briefed on all known cylons.

"So, we meet again," he said dryly. "Or are you a different version than the last time?"

"I"m Sharon Valerii," she said in a small voice. "Please don't shoot. I'm here with a warning." She raised her arms up in surrender.

"What kind of warning?" Adama asked warily.

"A warning for Kara."

His heart began to pound.

"Escort it down to the brig," he ordered coldly. "Put it in the cell vacated by the last one."

The irony was too much for one of the marines who stifled a giggle.

"You have a problem with that?" Adama barked at him.

"No sir," he said quickly, face paling.

"Do it then. I'll meet you there shortly."

They saluted and two of them grabbed her arms and began to walk.

"Don't do this! I need to talk to Kara! I need to warn her! Please let me talk to her!" Sharon pleaded, turning wide, dark eyes to Adama.

"You'll get your chance," he growled. "Now go."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Kara was just brushing the tangles out of her freshly-washed hair when there was a knock at the hatch.

Lee pulled on his dress jacket and moved to answer, still buttoning it as the door swung open.

"Dad," he said, surprised. It wasn't often that his father visited the CAG's office - usually the meetings took place in more formal areas.

"Lee," Adama acknowledged him. "Where's Kara?"

"In the bathroom getting ready. Our shift doesn't begin for another twenty minutes yet." Lee's browed knit together. He could read his father well enough to know that something was wrong.

"What is it dad?" he asked hesitantly.

"I need you both to come with me."

Kara popped her head out of the bathroom, disturbed by the tone in the Admiral's voice.

"What's wrong sir?" she asked, walking out to join them.

"We've got a visitor who says she needs to speak with you," he answered, putting an arm around Kara's shoulders. "I want you to be strong. This could be rather disturbing."

Kara's heart fluttered nervously. It had to be bad if the Admiral was asking her to be strong - he knew, probably better than anyone, just how strong she was.

They walked in silence down to the brig. Adama opened the hatch and ushered them inside.

"Oh gods," Kara cried out, a hand flying to cover her mouth as she paled. Lee put an arm around her waist to steady her.

Sharon/Boomer stared at her intensely. "They're coming for your baby Kara. You have to get away from here."

**TBC**


	25. Chapter 25

**WHTMT - chapter 24**

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

The room was dead silent for a minute and Adama felt the tension rise to unbearable levels. He looked around the sparsely furnished area and pulled the guard's chair over beside him.

"Sit," he said gently to Kara, touching her shoulder in a fatherly gesture.

She didn't so he tried again. "Sit. I have a feeling this isn't going to be pleasant."

She sat.

Lee hovered behind her, one hand resting on her other shoulder.

"We don't have time for pleasantries," Sharon said, obviously agitated as she paced the cell. "They're on their way. You have to leave NOW."

"They're coming here? Now?" Adama barked.

"Why? What do they want with Kara's baby?" Lee demanded.

"Can't they just leave me alone?" Kara whispered, hands crossing over her belly protectively.

Sharon looked pointedly at Kara. "They think the baby is theirs."

"But it's not. I know, I got away before they had a chance ..."

Sharon strode forward and gripped the bars so hard her knuckles began to turn white.

"How do you suppose you got away?"

Kara's eyes widened and she paled. "It was _you_?"

Sharon nodded.

"I don't get it." Adama said. "Are you one of them or one of us?"

"Both. Neither. Ever since I found out, I've been playing both sides."

"I can't believe we trusted you," Adama said coldly.

She turned her faze to him, eyes imploring. "I had no choice. When they resurrected me I _wanted_ to come back here. You're the only family and friends I have. I didn't want to stay with them, but I had no choice. They'd have boxed me otherwise."

"Boxed?" Lee asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Storing my consciousness without resurrecting me. The cylon equivalent of death."

"Perhaps that would have been best," Adama said quietly.

"Then I wouldn't have been around to save Kara's life would I?" she challenged him, eyes flashing angrily.

"Or my baby," Kara put in.

"They were never going to take it."

"Yes they were - how else would they have implanted a hybrid embryo in me?" Kara demanded, standing up and planting her hands on her hips.

"They didn't have to," Sharon answered, speaking barely above a whisper. "Your baby is a hybrid already."

"WHAT?" All three voices were in unison.

Kara paled.

Realization dawned in Lee's mind. _ I knew it, I knew it all along. He was ..._

"Anders was a cylon."

Both men stuck an arm out to brace Kara as she collapsed, but they'd forgotten that under the sweet, vulnerable exterior they'd become used to seeing lay Starbuck.

"No frakking way! He was _not_ a cylon!" she shouted.

"Face the facts Starbuck. Why else did he hook up with you on Caprica?"

"Because he loved me!"

"That's what he wanted you to think."

"He _saved_ me from them, from the farm. Why would he do that if he was one of them?"

"You were _let_ go. You don't think you could have escaped unless we _let_ you, did you? It was decided that the other Sharon and Helo's baby might be a fluke. We needed to try more experiments with hybrids to see if love _was_ the missing ingredient for conception. The situation was perfectly set up - you thought he was human and were attracted to him, and he felt the same way about you."

"No, it can't be," Kara whispered, face ashen.

"If it didn't work out, well, at least we'd have tried. And it's not like we didn't know where to find you," Sharon pointed out.

Kara sat heavily.

"So they're coming for her now?" Lee asked.

"Not her. Just the baby. Anders wants his child."

"But it's not time yet!" Kara protested.

"It's getting close. Cylon babies don't seem to need quite as long to mature."

"So what ... they're going to cut her open and take it by force?" Lee paled at the thought of them slicing her open, taking the baby and leaving her there to die.

"That's about the gist of it," Sharon said calmly.

"That's sickening!" Lee exploded, and from the expression on his father's face, he felt the same way.

"Kill it," Adama said. "Out the airlock."

"Wait! I came to help!" Sharon turned to Kara. "You have to go! Leave here and get away from the fleet. As long as you stay, they can track you."

Kara wavered, unsure whether to trust her or not. Sharon Valerii had been one of her closest friends before it was revealed she was a cylon.

But she hadn't missed that Sharon had switched pronouns several times during the conversation - 'them' to 'we' and back again. She really didn't know whether to trust her. Her fight or flight instincts were telling her to run (as she wasn't particularly up to fighting) but she'd always had faith that Adama and Lee would protect her no matter what.

"Don't believe her Kara. You're safer here with us," Adama said squeezing her shoulder.

Sharon blazed at him. "Do you really think_ I _was the only cylon planted in the fleet? How do you know there aren't many more of us? Maybe your own son is one of us, and you'd never know it."

"Let's go," Adama said tightly. "We're done here."

Kara felt the tension in both men as they escorted her out of the brig. She sensed Lee wanted to say something but his lips were pressed tightly together - so tightly that they were a thin white line.

"What are we going to do?" she asked in a small voice.

"Get a raptor loaded up and get her out of here," Lee answered immediately.

Adama stopped and the others did too, looking back at him.

"You don't mean to say you believe it?" he said incredulously. "And just how far do you think you'd get without FTL drive?"

"Whether we believe what she says is true or not is irrelevant. I'm getting Kara to safety."

"_You're_ ..." Adama rasped. "Don't you think a _battlestar_ is the safest place she could be?" he growled.

Just then the warning klaxons began to shriek. Adam raced over to pick up the nearest phone.

"This is the Admiral. Report!"

There was silence, and all Kara could hear was the pounding of her heart.

"Frak! Get a security team down there IMMEDIATELY!"

He slammed down the phone and began to walk towards the landing bay rapidly.

"What? What is it?" Lee asked, hurrying to catch up.

"It appears that our 'friend' may have been telling the truth. Somehow they managed to make it on board. They're waiting for us in the hangar bay."

Lee reached for Kara's hand and squeezed it, letting her know she wasn't alone. She squeezed back, glad of his presence, knowing that however tough she was, she was going to need him.

And she was right.

Standing just beside on of their presumed missing raptors stood Anders, looking healthier than she'd seen him since they first met.

"Oh my gods!" she cried out, shrinking back as he smiled his heart-stoppingly handsome smile at her.

"Hello Kara." His deep voice still gave her shivers - now shivers of revulsion. She glance down at her swollen stomach and for the first time since she'd found out that she was pregnant, she wished she wasn't. There had been times along the way where she'd wondered if she could do it, if she would be a good mother, if she could handle being a single parent, but never had she wished the baby had never been conceived.

She stared at him blankly, unable to voice the myriad emotions rushing through her like a tidal wave.

"I want my baby," he said, stepping forward.

Twelve guns were suddenly pointing at him.

"It's _my_ baby," Kara said, not knowing where her sudden burst of courage was coming from. "It's in _my_ body, and possession is nine tenths of the law."

"Unless we take it from you." Two more of them stepped from the raptor - a blonde like Kara had encountered on Caprica ... and another Sam.

"I dare you!" Lee spat, stepping in front of Kara. "I dare you to even _try_ touching her again. I swear I'll rip your filthy metallic head off you son of a bitch!"

Sam's eyebrow rose. "I always had suspicions about you and Lee, Kara. I guess I was right."

Kara stepped forward past Lee, eyes blazing.

"I never lied to you! You _knew_ Lee and I were close friends ..."

"Seems like more than 'friends' to me," he broke in.

"Since you died we've ... well, he's helped me through and we just ..."

" ... became lovers," he sneered.

"I was always faithful to you while I was with you. And what were you? A robot pretending to be human," she spat. "Why the hell couldn't you have told me?"

"Yeah, and when was a good time? At the wedding? In bed after making love? " Kara flushed. "When we found out you were pregnant? 'Oh by the way dear, I'm a cylon and that baby inside you is a half-breed that you can't keep'. Would that have been better?"

"Maybe back in the beginning before this all happened? Back on Caprica might have been a good time." Her eyes flashed darkly.

"Sorry, it wasn't my decision. My job was to make you fall in love with me and try to create a child. I couldn't have done that if you'd known the truth could I?"

"No, because I'd have blown your frakking brains out sooner than let you touch me!" she yelled. "Get out of my life! You're dead, stay dead!" She panted and began to step back, but Lee caught her and steadied her as she wavered, energy spent.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "You'll never get away from us. It doesn't matter where you go, we'll find ..."

A shot rang out and Adama lowered his weapon as Sam crumpled to the deck, blood seeping out of his chest.

Kara spun around and buried her face in Lee's chest, unable to bear the sight of him dying in front of her eyes again.

"Kara," Sam rasped, eyes beginning to glaze over, "I love you ... I really did ..."

Lee's arms tightened around her as her shoulders began to shake.

"If you want to live, I suggest you let the guards escort you down to the brig," Adama said, voice like ice. He leaned over and whispered in Lee's ear as eight of the security guards disarmed the remaining two cylons and began to lead them away.

Fifteen minutes later, Lee was piloting a raptor out of the hangar bay, plan hatching in his mind as Kara sat quietly in the back, tears still falling silently.

**TBC**


	26. Chapter 26

**WHTMT - chapter 25**

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Where are we going?" Kara asked a short while later, coming to join him at the front of the craft. "Your father was right, we can't get far without FTL drive."

Lee nodded. "That's why we're picking up another ship."

Kara looked up in amazement. "We are?"

He nodded. "The Aerilon Moon. It has the least number of passengers to redistribute."

"How are we going to get it? It's a civilian ship." Now that Kara's nerves were calming, her brain kicked itself into military mode. "We don't even _have_ a President to allow ..."

"We don't need one. My father is declaring it a military emergency. All civilian resources are military property in time of need."

Kara's eyebrows raised. "All that just for me?"

Lee finally turned to look at her. "My father and I would do anything for you, you know that. We almost sacrificed everything the time you went missing on that moon."

"What stopped you?" she asked curiously.

"Roslin."

Kara nodded knowingly. "She_ is_ the practical one isn't she? I'm sure she convinced you I wasn't worth it."

He turned to look at her again. "You're worth _any_ sacrifice."

Kara blushed. She still wasn't used to praise, especially from him.

He smiled briefly then turned back to the controls, slipping his helmet back on. "I'd best concentrate if we want to land safely."

Kara nodded and sat back, allowing him to do his job while she let her thoughts drift.

She looked down automatically as she felt movement inside. Feelings of despair washed over her as she pictured the baby with metal appendages. She knew in her head that it would appear normal - Sam had had her fooled for nearly a year and she'd seen every inch of him - but the thought that her child was part-machine caused feelings of disgust to well up inside her.

Still, her baby was a part of _her_, they were joined and that part was human. She couldn't deny that as the months had passed she'd grown accustomed to the idea of having a baby and had in fact been looking forward to it, especially now that she had Lee to help her through.

_Lee_! How would he react to the fact that the baby was a hybrid? He hadn't had time to process the information yet; they'd just been reacting as the situation unfolded. Would he still make good on his promise to help her raise it? Would he be willing to love it and take it as his own? She began to fear he wouldn't. He was a good man, one who was always willing to take on responsibility, and stepped up to new challenges willingly but this was pushing it. Even for him. Taking care of the child of the woman he loved was one thing, even if the baby wasn't his, but finding out the baby was sired by his enemy and was only half-human? She couldn't really blame him if he chose to leave once he got her away from them.

"This isn't the Aerilon Moon," she observed as they docked on Colonial One.

"No, but they need time to evacuate the ship and stock it up for us. Besides, I thought you might want to visit with an old friend while we wait." He gave a lopsided grin as he pulled off his helmet.

The hatch hissed open and Kara stepped out first, smiling immediately as Laura Roslin stood before her. The two women hugged as Lee hopped out, tugging the zipper of his flightsuit down.

"Not so easy to do this anymore is it?" Roslin said with a smile as they broke apart. She grinned widely at Kara's tummy. "I see things are still growing well."

"Did the Admiral tell you ..." Kara began softly, eyes shadowed in fear and sadness.

Roslin nodded. "Yes. But you mustn't allow that to change how you feel about it. That child is _yours,_ you will give birth to it, raise it and it will become a wonderful person. I know."

Lee stepped forward with a smile.

"Captain Apollo," she said impulsively as they hugged.

"Not exactly 'Captain' anymore," Lee said with a smile.

"I know. I just consider it my pet name for you."

Kara snickered.

They both turned to look at her.

"What?" she shrugged. "It's funny. Lee Adama, former Commander of his own ship and son of the only living Admiral, heir to Galactica someday and here you are calling him by a nickname like he's a little boy in the third grade."

"I can't help it. I guess it's just the teacher in me," Roslin admitted, smiling at her. "At least you find something amusing in these trying times."

Kara smiled ruefully. "I have to laugh at something otherwise I'd cry."

Lee came back over to her and put his arms around her. She put her hands on his chest, glad he'd unzipped himself so she could feel the comforting beat of his heart. She shivered suddenly as she thought of how many times she'd been in bed with Sam, head laying on his chest as she'd listened to his heartbeat. Nothing about it had ever struck her as odd, and she'd found it warm and comforting too in their difficult life. But he'd been a frakking cylon - a monster created by monsters. No better than the metallic model; worse perhaps because you could be fooled into thinking they weren't the enemy. No matter what he'd said and done or how he'd poured his heart out to her willingly - that which had drawn her to him in the first place, he'd had an agenda the whole time. One that involved using her to get what they wanted then discarding her.

Lee pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. "I'm here," he whispered, sensing her dismay.

She lifted her face up and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"But knowing what you know now, will you still keep your promise?" she asked sadly.

He lifted a hand to her face and began stroking her cheek. "You don't need to ask. I love you Kara, always have and always will, till the day I die. Nothing will ever change that, even finding out _you're_ a cylon wouldn't change how I feel. I meant what I said - your baby is a part of you and I'll love it because of that, because of how special you are to me. Yes, it may be a hybrid, but it _is_ half human and it will need love and nurturing even more than a normal child so it can learn tolerance and love and how to deal with being different. Who knows how many others they've created? Our only chance to make sure they grow up understanding and loving humanity, however flawed we may be, is to have them grow up with humans who will treat them no different than a normal child."

Tears were raining down Kara's cheeks as Lee spoke; the dam that she'd been holding in check ever since her first paralyzing thought that Lee might not be there for her. He _was_ going to be though, and she felt for the first time since learning the news, that perhaps it wasn't going to be so bad.

Roslin smiled, tears glistening in her eyes as she watched them. _He really is a chip off the old block,_ she thought_. No matter how much father and son refuse to admit it, they're much more alike than they know. _

Thinking of Bill gave her shivers of pleasure. She hadn't seen him - really _seen _him in far too long. He'd been the one to call her, tell her the news and beg for a favour. She'd gladly have done whatever she could even without Bill's pleadings. While she'd almost detested Kara in the beginning and had only come to grudging admiration of her abilities the first year, she'd really gotten to know and like her in their time together on New Caprica. Kara was all bristles on the outside, like a porcupine, but if you could get through those to the interior, someone very special awaited you inside. She'd have been happily willing to put her life on the line for Kara's though fortunately she hadn't had to.

Since her return from the planet, there was a clamour of nearly unison voices begging her to take charge again and so she had, at least temporarily until it could be finalized by law. She did miss the teaching though - politics was all good and fine - necessary even, but there was something much more fulfilling about taking young, fresh minds and teaching them how to explore and think. For now though, the people needed her and she stepped up to the job. Maybe someday when her time here was done she could return to teaching. _And maybe then Bill and I could ... it's just not feasible for us in the roles we hold now._

"Come. Let's go sit and have a a drink. Your ship won't be ready for another thirty minutes. It seems we have a little time to catch up."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Adama took Tigh aside to an almost unused corner of CIC.

"I want you to log everything, I mean _everything_ that comes through the comm over the next six hours."

Tigh gave him a look -_ the_ look.

"When they jump, they're going to send back the coordinates of where they are, but it will be a scrambled transmission. Knowing Starbuck, it'll be damn near impossible to figure out, but we didn't have time to get into explanations before they left."

"Do you really think the cylons will be monitoring us?" Tigh asked, obviously doubting it.

"I'm sure of it Saul. They want that child and I don't think they'll stop at anything to get it."

Tigh shook his head. "I still can't believe you let them go, just the two of them!"

"I'm not sure it was the right decision either, but what's done is done and now it's our job to make it work for them. Make sure you record everything - we need to know where they're hiding. At some point we're either going to need to get them back here or the nurse there. It won't be much longer now ..."

Tigh shook his head again. "Starbuck a mommy. Somehow I just can't see it."

"Stranger things have happened around here," Adama reminded him, smirking slightly.

Tigh snorted. "You can say that again." His face became serious. "You know we're at a serious disadvantage with the two of them gone. If we get into another firefight ... and our two best pilots not here?"

"It's not like Starbuck would be able to fly even if she _were_ here."

"True, but we could use her tactical skills."

Adama's look was worth a thousand words. "Saul, you don't mean to tell me you think she's a good strategist do you?"

Tigh hedged. "Well she ... I mean ... sometimes it happens ..." He gave up the struggle. "Frak, we really could use her."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. She can be really difficult at times but man, no one can think out and execute a crazy-ass plan like she can."

Tigh nodded, silent for a moment. "Do you think they'll be okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"They have to be," Adama answered grimly. "I'm not willing to lose the only children I have left."

Tigh clapped his shoulder briefly before heading back into the main area of CIC to get back to work.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"My gods, this is a palace!" Kara said, eyes wide as she took in the interior of the Aerilon Moon.

"Well, it did house nearly two hundred people you know," Lee said, finding his way through the main area of the ship to the cockpit.

"Yeah, but we were over seven hundred on Galactica and we lived like frakking sardines."

Lee laughed. "That's only because of the armaments. This is a luxury ship - no weapons."

She put a hand on his arm to stop him. "So what do we do if they find us?" she asked worriedly.

"Run like hell."

Kara smiled in spite of her fear. "I like the way you think Captain."

He raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "I seem to recall that's not the _only_ thing you like about me."

Kara coloured and gave him a playful slap. "You think too highly of yourself."

He gave her his best smile. "That's why they call me Apollo," and he continued on, sitting down and perusing the ships controls.

"I always wondered how you got that ridiculous callsign," she muttered, coming up front to sit beside him.

"You ready?" he asked a few minutes later after having started pre-launch.

She drew in a long, shaky breath. "As ready as I'll ever be." She gave him a weak smile. "I only have one question."

"Shoot."

"How are we supposed to contact Galactica and let them know where we are without tipping off the cylons?"

Lee paused, helmet half-way to his head. He smiled at her. "That's where you come in."

"Me?"

"Remember that code we used when my father and Cain were bent on destroying each other?"

"Vaguely."

"Better start remembering." Lee pulled on his helmet and zipped up his flightsuit.

Kara sighed. It seemed like those days were a lifetime ago. She wasn't sure she'd be able to remember, but she had no choice - their survival might depend on it.

**TBC**


	27. Chapter 27

**WHTMT - chapter 26**

A/N: I can't believe there are over 200 reviews for this story! I never expected it to be so long or go where it's going (at least not when I first started it five months ago)! Thanks so much to everyone who's been faithfully reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. :)

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

"I can't remember how this frakking thing works!" Kara grumbled in frustration, after several failed attempts to remember how the code worked. Her brain felt like it was in a fog and she was irritated that she couldn't do even this one thing, considering how hard Lee was working to pilot the craft.

"You're going to have to learn not to swear you know," he reminded her.

"Why?" she asked tersely.

"Do you want the first word that comes out of your child's mouth to be 'frak'?"

She chuckled. He did have a point. "That's going to be tough you know," she admitted.

"Then maybe we should start now."

"Okay, so ..." she prompted.

"Well, there has to be incentive for stopping or you won't."

"What were you thinking of?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Punishment every time you forget and say it?"

"Hmm. _I_ was thinking more along the lines of a reward for good behaviour."

Lee grinned at her. "You really are terrible you know."

She smiled. "I've heard that."

"Maybe we can find a way to combine the two approaches," he suggested.

Kara studied him for a moment as he switched his concentration back to the controls. "You really are going to make a great father someday, you know that?"

"Someday is coming pretty soon you know," he said lightly, but inside his heart soared. Her approval had always meant much to him.

He became serious. "We're going to be jumping again soon."

"How long?"

"Three minutes."

"Are we nearly done jumping?" She held her stomach. "They're really making me feel ill."

Lee smiled sympathetically. "Last time. Unless of course ..." He didn't need to finish the statement. They'd already jumped three times because he was being overly careful that the cylons not follow them. If they _should_ find them ... well, the consequences were too dire for either of them to say aloud.

Kara knew he was just doing it to be safe, and she appreciated that, but each time they jumped she felt worse. Her stomach was constantly fluttering too, as if the baby were just as unsettled as she was.

"Hold on."

They shared a brief look before Lee hit the controls.

The ship jumped and Kara suddenly felt as though she'd been ripped apart. She held her stomach and tried to fight the feeling of nausea that swept over her. She hadn't thrown up since those first few weeks of pregnancy.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked solicitously, relaxing now that the jump was over.

"No, I think I'm going to ..." She retched suddenly. "Sorry," she said weakly as it passed.

He reached over and stroked her clammy face. "It's okay. Can I get you anything?"

"I think I'll just go lie down for a while. These jumps are hell for me right now." She laughed shakily, getting up and making her way back to the passenger quarters of the ship.

Lee followed, not needed at the controls for a few moments. He helped her lie down and pulled a warm blanket over her, noticing she was shivering slightly.

"Will you be okay?" he asked. "I need to ..." He gestured towards the cockpit.

"Go, do what you have to do. I'll be okay." She smiled weakly. "Really. I just need to lay down a while."

"Okay." Lee didn't sound convinced but he really didn't have a choice. He was needed at the controls. Now he wished someone else had come with them. At the time, it had seemed rather romantic, just the two of them on their own ship roaming through space. If one forgot about the fact that they were running from the cylons who were bent on killing Kara and taking her child, that is ...

Now he wished there was someone here who could take care of her while he did what he had to do to keep her safe.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Nothing yet?" Adama's voice was terse though outwardly he appeared calm and unruffled.

Tigh shook his head, knowing from the look in Adama's eyes that he was worried about his children.

"Nothing but the usual background noise of space," he said. "No sign of the cylons though," he added, trying to give a bit of hope to an otherwise bleak situation.

"Thank you Saul. You go get some rest. I'll keep watch here," Adama said.

"How long has it been since _you've_ slept?" Tigh threw back at him. "You should go grab some rack time."

Adama shook his head. "Maybe later."

Tigh nodded wordlessly. he knew it was a futile effort to try to get the old man to sleep while his children were in danger, but as XO it was his job to try. He gave Adama a comforting pat on the shoulder as he left CIC.

Adama headed to an unused corner of the room and began studying the logs of the previous four hours. If there was something there, anything at all, he didn't want to miss it.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kara's stomach clenched and unclenched as she lay in the unfamiliar bunk. It was far more opulent than anything she'd experienced in the past several years, and had she been feeling better, she'd have thoroughly enjoyed it.

As it was, she was fighting the constant urge to throw up and had closed her eyes, hoping sleep would claim her. Hopefully she'd feel better after a few hours rest._ It's just the stress coupled with the jumps that are making me feel so bad. I'll be fine later on,_ she told herself.

As her body's adrenaline dropped, she fell into a restless sleep, filled with dreams.

_They were laughing and joking like always when suddenly it hit her - the worst pain she'd ever experienced. She doubled over, the witty response she'd been about to hit Lee with dead on her tongue before it could ever be uttered._

_"Oh my gods, Lee!" she said weakly._

_"Is it time?"he asked nervously, all jocularity gone._

_"Frak yes!"_

_She panted as he led her over to the other bunk in the room they'd been sleeping in. Their time had been idyllic - almost a week of just the two of them alone, no people, no cylons. Just days of fun and love-making. She'd wished it would never end - this was what life was supposed to be like, not endless struggles, fights and ... PAIN! _

_She clutched her stomach again and moaned. It was far worse than she'd been told to prepare for._

_"Is it bad?" Lee asked, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders._

_"Yeah," she said, turning a pale, sweaty face towards him. "It's bad."_

_Lee began to panic inwardly. He didn't have a doctor, nurse or even any painkillers to help her and heaven help him if he had any idea how to deliver a baby. Watching it on old movies just wasn't the same as doing. He fretted as Kara moaned through contraction after contraction, unable to do anything other than say comforting and encouraging words and hold a cold cloth on her forehead._

_Suddenly she screamed and leaned backwards. Lee watched in horror as her stomach began to swell outwards, looking as though a limb were about to break through._

_It did, spraying blood everywhere and Kara screamed again. "Lee! Help me! My gods ... what's happening?"_

_He didn't answer, frozen in terror as he watched another arm poke through the hole the first one had made. The hands each grabbed a side of the gash they'd ripped through and pulled it wider, splitting Kara's midsection completely apart._

_Blood sprayed everywhere and pooled on the deck below, and Lee was reminded of something he'd seen somewhere before - the human body can be drained of blood in eight seconds flat given the right circumstances._

_He tore his gaze away from the horrific thing happening to her body and looked into her eyes which were glazing over already. Her mouth was frozen in a plea that never made it past her lips, and her skin was paling as her body emptied of blood._

_"Kara, I'm so sorry," he wept, tears streaming down his face. "There's nothing I can do ..."_

_"Please don't ..." she whispered, the words barely audible. "Noooo ..."_

_**ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

"They've left Galactica - jumped away," he said with certainty.

"Are you _sure_?" the blonde one asked. "Maybe they just _want _us to think ..."

"I'm sure. I can _feel _the baby and it's moving away from the fleet."

"You can feel it?" the dark-haired one asked skeptically. "It isn't even born yet."

"It's _my_ baby," he said firmly, turning on her.

"It's God's baby," the blonde one said. "You were just one of the creators."

"It carries _my _genes, and whether or not it's the child of the prophecy is irrelevant. I can feel it's whereabouts, and because of that, hers. We can find her without resorting to war with Galactica."

"Needless destruction of human life is to be frowned upon," the blonde one said thoughtfully. "If we can get the child without a fight so much the better." She smiled, lost in thought. "Too bad Gaius didn't live to see the child. I think he would have really liked to."

"If she's left Galactica, there must be people with her. She can't fly in that condition," the dark-haired one said, musing upon her own thoughts.

"_He'll_ be with her. He always is. EVen when she was with me, away from him, he was still there in her thoughts and in her heart."

The dark-haired one nodded. She'd seen it too.

"The question is, will there be anyone else or is it just the two of them?"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee's forehead crinkled. He was sure he was hearing things. No, there it was again - Kara moaning.

He quickly put the ship on autopilot and sped to the living quarters where she was resting. He'd left her alone for several hours, hoping that some sleep would help her feel better. Maybe he should have kept a closer eye on her ... or maybe she was just dreaming. He'd noticed in the nights they'd spent together that she dreamt, and was rather vocal about it.

Her eyes were still closed but she was tossing and turing incessantly. Her face was pale and sweaty and the pillow was soaking wet.

He pushed the sweaty strands of hair off her face. "Kara, are you okay?"

Her eyes opened and the first thing he saw in them was pain. The second, fear.

"Lee," she moaned. "It hurts so much ..." She put her hands over her stomach and rolled over onto her side.

_Oh frak,_ he thought, suddenly beginning to panic. _ Not now, not yet, please! _

But as she pulled the blanket off, he could see a large blood stain on the sheet beneath her. He took a deep breath. "I think it's time," he said shakily.

She moaned in pain as she rolled over to see what he was looking at.

"Oh shit."

**TBC**


	28. Chapter 28

**WHTMT - chapter 27**

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee sat on the bed holding her till the pain passed. He whispered words of reassurance but inside he was panicking. Now was definitely _not_ the time for the baby to come with no one else around to help. And was the blood normal or a sign of things gone wrong? Lee had no clue, but he knew it was his responsibility to calm Kara down and make her believe it was okay, even if it wasn't.

"You're okay. Everything's fine," he murmured.

"How do you know? Do you know anything about giving birth?" Her eyes flashed hotly and if Lee didn't know her better he'd have thought she was mad. She wasn't though - she was near hysterical with fear.

" 'Course I don't," he chuckled, hoping lightening things would help. "I've never done this before either but women have been having babies for thousands of years, long before hospitals and special equipment came along. We'll figure it out as it happens." He stroked her cheek gently. "Just remember, I'm here. We're a team. We _will_ make it through this."

She nodded silently, eyes speaking louder than any words could - she was terrified.

"Kara, there's something I need you to do."

She looked at him inquiringly.

"I need you to help me with the code."

"But I can't ..." she protested, tears filling her eyes.

"You have to," Lee said firmly. "If we can contact Galactica, Ishay might be able to get here before the baby does." He smiled encouragingly. "And I could really use the help ... it's not like I remember much of the first aid I learned at the Academy, and giving birth certainly wasn't part of our field medicine training."

She smiled weakly but it quickly changed to a grimace as the pain hit her again.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, face screwed up with worry.

She shook her head. "I'm scared Lee," she confided, voice shaking.

"I know you are," he said tenderly, putting an arm around her. "But we can do this."

"I'm scared I'm going to die."

"Kara, you're not going to die. You're the strongest person I know. You've suffered through so much in your life and it's only made you stronger. This is no different."

"Yes it is," she protested, and told him about her dream.

_My gods, how horrible! _he thought, trying to stay calm on the outside._ I'm sure something like that would never happen - that sort of thing only happened on those old horror movies. Everything will be fine._

He kept repeating that last phrase - everything will be fine - to himself over and over, trying to convince himself to be positive and supportive. However scared he might be,_ she_ must be a thousand times worse. She needed him, and Lee wasn't going to let her down. Not again.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"They've jumped more than once," she said, tossing her blonde hair back off her face.

"We can find them," he said confidently.

"Well maybe _you_ should be the one up here piloting this ship then, because I have no idea where to go," she said coolly.

"That's not your job anyway," he said, a trifle airily.

She looked at the other woman in the ship with them. The dark-haired one shrugged. "Beats me what she saw in him," she whispered.

He didn't notice though, being fully occupied with his own thoughts.

"It might take us a while, but we will get there," he said over his shoulder.

" 'A while'? How long is that?"

"Another day or perhaps a little more."

"Are you sure they won't jump away again before we get there?" the dark-haired one asked.

He shook his head, an enigmatic look on his face.

"How do you know that?" the blonde one demanded.

"It's time."

"Time for what?"

"Time for the baby to be born. I can _feel_ it." He smiled, but instead of rendering his features more boyishly handsome the way it usually did, it gave him an evil look.

"So how do you know they won't jump away to make sure we don't find them?"

"Well, for starters, they don't know we're following them," he said, as if explaining things to a child. "And secondly, you don't think he'll be busy piloting the ship while she's screaming in agony, needing help giving birth do you?"

Both women shook their heads.

"Exactly." He smiled condescendingly at them, but rolled his eyes as he turned away. Sometimes he wished he could just do things alone. It was easier that way.

**oooooooooooooooooooo**

"I think ... think that's it," Kara panted, an hour after Lee helped her to the cockpit and they began working on sending a message to Galactica. She'd sweated through eight contractions and Lee had had to get replacement towels several times as they soaked through with blood and amniotic fluid.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure? No, but it's the best I can do."

Lee studied her carefully. She needed rest.

"Good enough then. Let's go." He helped her up and led her back down to the bed, putting fresh towels down before lowering her into a semi-sitting position against the pillows.

"Is there ... I mean, are there any clothes or some such ... around here? I could use something new," Kara suggested, pulling her soaked shirt away from her chest.

"You mean like this?" Lee pulled out an oversize T-shirt that someone had left in a locker.

"Exactly like that," she said thankfully, stripping off her shirt and bra and pulling the dry fabric over her head.

"Is there anything else I can do?" he asked.

"Not right now," she answered, smiling weakly at him. "Just stay with me?"

He sat down beside her and began to rub her stomach, feeling the movements within.

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

**oooooooooooooooooooo**

Tigh's eyebrows drew together. It wasn't really anything ... but was it worth disturbing the old man? He wrestled with himself. He didn't want to miss anything important, but what he was seeing wasn't the cut and dried 'we're over here' message he was expecting.

He looked at the clock. It was 03:30. The old man should be sleeping ... was it worth disturbing him now or should he wait till shift change at 06:00? Adama forestalled his decision by arriving in CIC unannounced. Too late, one of the Lieutenants on duty noticed him.

"Admiral on the ..."

Adama stopped him with a hand. "As you were Lieutenant. No need for pomp and circumstance."

"Yes sir," the Lieutenant replied, cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

"Bill," Tigh called softly from his spot at the war table.

"You've got something?" Adama looked stoic but Tigh could hear the note of desperation in his friend's voice.

"Possibly," he said cautiously. "I was just about to call you." The lie slipped off his lips easily; he'd lied too often and to too many people including himself to look or even feel embarrassed about stretching the truth.

"Good thing I wasn't sleeping then," Adama said dryly. "What is it?"

"This." Tigh proferred the sheet of paper he'd been studying at Adama.

He looked at it intently for a moment.

"Can you tell me what I'm looking at?" he asked, as he threw his glasses on the table and scrubbed his hand over his face. "I think I'm too tired to make heads or tails of it."

"Well, this just looks like background noise but this little blip here," he illustrated with his finger, " is repeated here and here, and here ... It seems to be a recurring sound. Too frequent to be a coincidence. If you assume it's a word and compare it to the size of the other sounds, it's short one. Three, maybe four letters."

He looked up and met Adama's eyes, a significant look passing between them.

" 'Lee' perhaps, or maybe even 'help'," Tigh suggested.

"Or 'Kara'," Adama said grimly. "Possibly even 'baby'."

Tigh shot him a look of disbelief. "It couldn't be yet could it? I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing but even _I_ know it takes nine months."

"For a_ human _baby. This one is only half-human. I think we can assume all of our assumptions may be incorrect."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Pinpoint the location of those sounds. Then we send a ship with some medical staff. I'd rather be safe than ..." He stopped before putting it into words but they both knew.

Tigh nodded brusquely. "Right away."

Adama smiled gratefully before leaving CIC. He knew he should go back to his quarters and try to sleep, but until Lee and Kara were safely found, he knew rest would never come.

He smiled as he walked Galactica's corridors though. He knew many of the crew had a low opinion of Saul, and perhaps rightly so, given some of his tendencies, but given a tight situation, there was no one he'd rather have by his side. It was good to have people who understood you enough to know what you weren't saying.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Eight hours later, Kara had exhausted the supply of towels and run through every forgotten article of clothing Lee could find for her, and things were only getting worse.

Lee was beginning to pray it would be over soon, terrified though he was at the prospect of actually _helping_ the baby come out, just so it would be over and done with. The hours of waiting and seeing her suffer were fraying his nerves to breaking point and he wasn't sure how he was going to keep it together to get Kara through it.

She was definitely looking rough around the edges - rougher than he'd ever seen her. He'd tried giving her some water earlier; with all the perspiring she was doing she had to be dehydrating, but it had only caused her to vomit so he'd given up on that idea. But now, hours later, she looked exhausted. The pallor of her skin was greyish and her eyes appeared to be sinking into her skull. They didn't register fear anymore either. Now they were blank.

Another contraction gripped her but she barely reacted, the tensing of her muscles and the sound of her breath hissing between her teeth the only signs of pain.

Lee saw a rush of wetness tinged with blood suddenly seep into the towel beneath her. He'd never really been a queasy person but this was starting to unnerve him.

"How are you doing Kara?" he asked softly.

She completely ignored him, as if in another world.

"Kara, come on. Talk to me," he said more forcefully.

She continued to stare.

He gripped her shoulders and shook her gently. "Kara!"

She turned blank eyes on him. "I can't do this anymore," she said flatly, voice barely more than a whisper. Then her eyes shut and she slipped into unconsciousness.

**TBC**


	29. Chapter 29

WHTMT - chapter 28

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Lee went into full-blown panic.

"Holy frakking gods! Kara! No - come back Kara!" He shook her gently but got no response so he raced to the washroom area, wet a facecloth and raced back, putting it on her forehead and rubbing her cheek.

"Come on, wake up. I need you - your baby needs you!" he said urgently.

Colour began to come back into her cheeks and she moaned, eyes still closed.

"Not my baby," she whispered, "_our_ baby. I can't do this without you."

"You don't have to. I said I'd be with you every step of the way and I will," he said, a tear winding it's way down each of his cheeks. He leaned over and kissed her now slightly pink cheek. "Stay with me - we need to get this baby out before you can rest."

"So tired ..." she murmured. "Hurts so much ..."

"I know it does sweetheart and if I could do it for you I would." He brushed her wet hair off her forehead and kissed it. "You've no idea how much it hurts me to see you in pain."

Kara had opened her eyes half-way at the word 'sweetheart'. No one had ever called her that - no one. Not Sam, not Zack. They'd each had their pet names for her but those had been somewhat ... different. Not sweet or romantic the way Lee obviously meant it. Her heart fluttered for a moment as it sunk in just how much he really _did_ love her, and just how lucky she was to finally have her fantasy come true.

Now if only she could get through this ...

Another pain hit and she grabbed Lee's hand for support and shifted, trying to get more comfortable.

"That's it, come on Kara, we can do this," he encouraged.

Another rush of fluid escaped and the nature of the pain changed. It didn't hurt so much as make her feel pressure in her lower belly. Pressure that she was sure she could get rid of by pushing.

"Lee," she panted, eyes dilating with fear again. "I think it's time."

"Time?"

She struggled to find words as another contraction came, barely seconds after the previous one, giving her no time to breathe.

"Time to push," she said quickly, taking a deep breath and grabbing the sheet fiercely with her free hand.

"Are you sure ..." he began, but stopped as Kara grunted, pushing as hard as she could.

He squeezed the other hand, still firmly holding his, and she gave it a bone-crushing squeeze back, breathing and grunting again.

Lee prayed to every god he could remember the name of, firstly that Galactica had received the message and help was on it's way, and secondly for things to go smoothly so mother and child would be okay. A small sob found it's way out of his throat as he thought of what he would do if he lost her now.

Fortunately, she didn't hear him, lost in concentration as she was. He spoke words of encouragement in a voice that was much more confident that he actually felt, taking his cues from her and squeezing her hand whenever a contraction came.

Soon they were barely a few seconds apart, one coming on the heels of the previous one with no time to think, talk or even breathe in between. Kara, who knew little about childbirth, just the little Ishay had told her, was going purely on instinct. Her body told her to push, she pushed. It told her to relax for a few seconds and draw a deep breath, she did.

In a way, it reminded her of flying. Of course flying had never been painful, but the intense pressure on her chest and stomach that the contractions were creating felt much like the pressure of the G-forces involved in some of the more extreme combat maneuvers. And the split-second, go-on-instinct-rather-than-thought was definitely something she was all-too familiar with ... and had missed since giving it up nearly a year earlier.

She gave in to the sensations, closing her eyes and working with them instead of fearing them and found it hurt much less. Her body knew what to do and did it with no conscious thought on her part. It was almost zen-like in it's simplicity.

Lee noticed the change in her but said nothing. Whatever was going on in her head was making it easier for her and he didn't want to disturb that. He just let her go with it and continued squeezing her hand to let her know he was there.

She suddenly cried out as pain like fire shot through the lower half of her body.

"My gods! Lee!" she yelled, pulling her hand away from him and pushing herself up so she was almost sitting. "The baby! Now - it needs to come out now!"

He didn't question her but instead gulped and took a deep breath as he turned his attention lower down. He pushed aside the shirt and gasped ... the head was visible.

"Oh frak, frak, frak, frak!" he murmured, grabbing a clean sheet he'd pulled off one of the bunks to wrap the baby in. "Why can't help come now?" he muttered under his breath. "Like _right _now?"

He watched as Kara's body tensed and she gave another push, crying out in pain. he put a hand down to cradle the head as it slipped out, feeling vaguely repulsed at watching her body stretch open so wide and seeing the bloody body sliding it's way out, yet marveling at being a part of such an incredible event. The birth of a baby, the start of a new life, and_ they_ were doing it - together. He wished, yet again, that the baby was his, and made a vow that if everyone survived the ordeal safely, he and Kara would have a child of their own.

"Help me! Gods Lee, the pain! Help!" she screamed, body beginning to flail.

His brow furrowed for an instant then he saw was what was wrong. She was pushing but the baby was stuck. The shoulders wouldn't squeeze out.

He began to panic and several scenarios ran through his head immediately, each one of them having disastrous results. _You have to help it, _a quiet calm inner voice spoke up_. Just grab the shoulders and help it through ..._

He shuddered at the thought, but as another contraction came and Kara screamed helplessly, unable to push the baby out on her own, he knew he would move New Caprica, Kobol, Earth and all the twelve colonies to help her get through this alive.

He took a deep breath and slid his fingers into her, finding room beside the baby's neck, and took a gentle hold of the shoulder.

"Push Kara," he said firmly as he felt the muscles contract around his hand. "Push hard now!"

She nodded, took a deep breath and gave it everything she had.

Lee pulled, using one hand to hold her open further while the other tugged the baby this way and that to find a way to fit it through. No luck. The next contraction came right away though, and they tried again.

Kara screamed again, but this time in triumph as she felt the baby slip out of her completely.

Lee held the wet, bloody bundle in his arms and just stared at it. It wasn't breathing. He looked over at Kara helplessly.

"Clean out the nose and mouth," she panted, and Lee obeyed, then giving the infant a few firm pats on the back.

"Come on," he murmured. "Breathe!"

The baby hiccoughed a few times, drew in a big breath and began to whimper. Kara's eyes lit up in a way Lee had never seen before, and despite her weary worn body, she looked more beautiful than he'd ever imagined she could.

"It's a girl," he said softly. "You have a daughter." He placed the baby in Kara's arms, looking around for the scissors he'd brought ready to cut the cord.

"No Lee," she whispered, favouring him with the most tender look. "_We_ have a daughter. I couldn't have done this without you."

He leaned over and kissed the baby gently on the forehead. She looked so sweet and innocent - like an angel. It was easy to forget she was part-cylon.

"I just have to take care of a few things," he said softly, "then I'll go see how we're doing."

She nodded, lifting her shirt up as the baby began to nuzzle at her chest. She held the little head up to her breast and it latched on immediately, beginning to suck instinctively.

Kara felt a warmth steal over her that made her weak inside. She'd never before considered breastfeeding a baby - hell, she'd never even_ wanted_ to have children until she actually became pregnant, but she'd always assumed she would bottle-feed her children, should she have any. The sight of women breastfeeding had made her feel uncomfortable in the past, like it was something odd or unusual, even though it was the most natural thing in the universe and all mammals had been doing it since the beginning of time - humans included.

She held her daughter close, smiling down at the little wrinkled bundle she'd worked so hard to give birth to.

Lee finished up the cut, cleaned up a little and went to wash his hands. When he returned, he stood in the doorway watching mother and baby, and feeling like his heart couldn't possibly be any more full of love than it was at that moment.

As the baby suckled at Kara's breast, he noticed something odd. The sheet swaddling the infant was luminous - as though her back were glowing somehow.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Have we got coordinates yet?" Adama asked in a gravelly voice.

Tigh shook his head.

"It's difficult... we have to compute ..." Gaeta began.

"Don't explain it to me, just do it. Every second we waste could cost lives."

"Yes sir." Gaeta went back to work silently.

Tigh led his friend a little away from the action to talk privately.

"Do you really think the situation's that critical?" he asked skeptically.

"I don't know," Adama admitted to him, "but I've got a gut feeling that's telling me they're in trouble."

"Since when did we start using gut feelings to tell us what to do?" Tigh teased, a small twinkle in his usually sombre blue eyes.

Adama smirked grimly. "About the time the cylons started trying to wipe us out of this universe."

"Stupid metal motherfrakkers," Tigh muttered.

Adama put an arm around his shoulders and they began to head back to the action. "They went and changed the rules of the game on us," he said.

"Yeah, and every time we make a move, they change them again," Tigh said sarcastically.

"Keeps us on our toes Saul."

"Some of us _like_ being flatfooted."

Adama chuckled out loud at his friend's grouchiness. Some people found it annoying - he found it refreshing. Rarely were people honest about their feelings, especially with him, being the commander. Kara was the only other one he knew that was more than willing to let her feelings hang out for everyone to see, even if people didn't like them. Maybe that was the reason he loved them both so dearly - much as they'd deny it, Kara and Saul were very much alike.

"We've got it sir!" Gaeta said triumphantly, waving a piece of paper in the air.

Adama and Tigh looked at each other. Adama nodded.

"I need a raptor, two flight crew and whatever medical staff and supplies we can spare immediately!" Tigh said, picking up the phone and giving orders rapidly. "Tell them to meet me in the hangar bay. Fifteen minutes." He hung up and patted Adama's shoulder reassuringly. "We'll find them."

Adama nodded, unable to voice his assent over the large lump in his throat. He knew his people wouldn't stop until they found Lee and Kara. He just hoped it was in time.

**TBC**


	30. Chapter 30

**WHTMT - chapter 30 - Almost the End**

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Marry me." The words slipped off his lips before he was even aware of thinking them.

Kara lifted her eyes to him in amazement. "Did you just ask ..."

Lee nodded. "Marry me. I love you Kara and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, however long that may be. We've wasted enough time apart already.

She looked down at the sleeping infant in her arms and back at him, then nodded.

"Yes."

Now it was Lee's turn to register amazement. He'd thought he'd have to do a lot more convincing.

"You will?"

"Yes I will." The smile that broke out on his face warmed her heart, as it always had. She'd never been able to resist that charming smile, try though she had.

He crossed the room, sat beside her and put his arm around her, pulling her close against him.

"I love you so much," he murmured into her still damp hair. "All I've wanted ever since I've known you was to be with you - for you to be mine and no one else's."

"You had a funny way of showing it," she teased, face buried in his neck, breathing the familiar and much-loved scent of him. It had always been one of the things that had made her go weak in the knees, and had made it so difficult to live in the same bunkroom with him all those months. Out of all the different smells of the people sharing the room, her nose had always picked out Lee's and it had made her feel terrifyingly weak. She'd always known, given the right opportunity, that she'd give in to her baser instincts and frak things up between them. And she had, but the gods had been kind enough, though they'd been terrible to her in other ways, to give her and Lee a second chance and she wasn't going to waste one second of it.

He chuckled warmly. "It certainly has taken a long time to get to this point, hasn't it?"

"And a lot of pain," she said quietly.

"I never meant to hurt you Kara," he said seriously.

"I know," she answered, cutting off whatever else he was going to say. "And I never meant to hurt you, at least not consciously. I just have a way of reacting on instinct and lashing out when I'm hurt ... and you're one of the only people who can really hurt me."

"I'm glad I'm in such a select group," he said, dryly but not without humour.

She pulled away to look into his eyes. "Only because I love you and what you think of me has always been important to me. Normally I don't give a frak ..." She stopped and covered her mouth. "Oops. Normally I don't care what people think of or say about me, but there a few people, you included, whose opinions matter to me."

"And I think the world of you. I love you more than anything - it's only when I feel like I can't have you or am losing you to someone else that I freak out and say things that hurt you."

She snuggled up close to him. "Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm all yours."

"Speaking of which," he reached a hand over and stroked the baby's slightly fuzzy, warm head, "do you think it's possible you and I could make one of these?"

She narrowed her eyes in a mock glare. "Just because I'm thankful you were here to help me through it doesn't mean you can push your luck."

He sighed deeply. "Didn't think so."

She snuggled back up again. "Someday."

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"There they are."

"Are you sure?" she demanded.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes, it's them. The baby's been born already."

Her forehead furrowed.

"It's not confined anymore," he explained.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "How is it you can feel so much? I don't ..."

'You've never had a child. It's a part of me somehow ... I can't explain it, it just is. I can feel it like a presence in my mind. I suspect once it gets older I'll be able to communicate with it directly."

Her eyes lit up with understanding. "That's why God wanted us to create hybrids. People who can live and move among humans without being noticed, even by doctors, and yet still retain our abilities and loyalties."

_"This_ one won't be staying with them. She's mine," he growled, a fierce look of determination in his eye.

"God's not going to be happy if you ..."

"i don't care," he interrupted. "She's mine and she _will_ come live with us. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of hybrids on the Farms. He can use those children for his purposes. This one is my daughter and I'm not giving her up to them."

She gave him a knowing look.

"You'd feel the same way if you had a child of your own. I'll face whatever wrath God throws my way willingly for her."

"I suppose ..." She began to daydream, not for the first time, about having a child with Gaius. He'd been completely opposed to the idea but she'd have been able to convince him. She always could ... except now he was gone. And unlike themselves, he couldn't come back to try again.

Her eyes filled with tears.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"There they are."

"Are you sure?" Tigh demanded.

"It's a Colonial signal - ship identified as the Aerilon Moon, sir," the pilot explained.

"Good." Tigh sighed as he leaned back and allowed his body to rest a moment. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been until he sat back and his shoulders protested loudly.

"Sir, another signal!" the pilot said urgently. "It's cylon!"

"Oh frak, why now?" Tigh groused. "Weapons at the ready."

"Shouldn't we try to talk to them before firing?"

"Why? We know why they're here and I'll be damned if I'll let them take or destroy Apollo and Starbuck."

"Yes sir," the pilot said meekly, readying the weapons systems to fire.

There was a tense silence for a few moments as they monitored the cylon ship.

"Frak me," Tigh said, almost under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. "They're boarding the Aerilon Moon." He sighed. "Make life difficult why don't you?"

"Sir?" the pilot asked quizzically.

Tigh turned to him. "It would have been so much more elegant to blow those motherfrakkers out of the sky without a fight." He smirked. "Less messy too, but hey ... we'll do what we have to. Take us in Lieutenant. It's time to join the party."

**oooooooooooooooooooooo**

Lee and Kara had been snuggling and napping on and off for some time, all danger forgotten, when the warning klaxon suddenly went off.

Lee launched himself out of the bunk and hit the deck at a run as Kara got up much more slowly and crossed the room, picking up the sleeping infant from the makeshift bassinet Lee had set up for her.

"This is Samuel T. Anders. I've come for my daughter."

Lee swore under his breath, vowing never to let the man have her while simultaneously wondering how the hell he knew the baby was a girl. He readied the ship to jump but the comm interrupted.

"Don't try to leave or we'll blow you to pieces."

"You wouldn't!" Lee shot back angrily. "You want your baby alive don't you?"

"I'd rather she die than be raised by humans - even Kara." Kara, now standing beside Lee, flinched at his words. "Besides, we don't die. She'll just be downloaded into another body."

"An _adult _body though. You still wouldn't have your baby then."

"But her consciousness would be saved," a woman's voice broke in. A very familiar voice to Kara - the blonde cylon she encountered on Caprica and then again on Galactica.

"Frak, we're in trouble," she whispered, shivering.

Lee put his arm around her. "We'll be okay. I won't let them take her. Or you."

"How are you going to stop them?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her, almost playfully. "You didn't think I came with no weapons did you? Just because the ship itself isn't armed doesn't mean_ we_ won't be."

She smiled weakly, clutching the precious bundle even closer against her chest.

"We're boarding your ship to come take the child. If we're met with any resistance you will be killed. Even you Kara," he added. "I loved you but I won't let you keep my child."

"Fine, we won't resist. But we need five minutes," Lee agreed.

"Why?" Anders' voice was suspicious.

"For frak's sake, Kara just gave birth! It would be nice to find her some clean clothes before we have company visiting," Lee said, irritation plainly obvious on his face and in his voice.

"Fine. Five minutes. But if this is a trap ..."

"How could it be? Who else is here? Just the three of us."

"Five minutes."

Kara turned to face Lee, face frozen in fear. "You have a plan?" she asked, barely concealing tears.

"Uh ... not really," he said uncomfortably. "Can you go find some clothes, maybe a clean blanket for the baby too?"

"Sure. What are you ..."

He opened a hatch under the controls to reveal a stockpile of weaponry.

"Time to get armed." He pulled a small revolver and gave it to her. "Take this, and hide it somewhere - in the baby's blanket maybe? They'll see it if it's anywhere else."

Kara nodded and headed back to the living quarters while Lee emptied the stockpile and began to hide the weapons around the ship.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"I can't believe they're just letting us come," the dark-haired one said.

"I'm sure they're not. They_ must_ have a plan. This is Starbuck after all." His face was grim.

"But she just had a baby," the blonde one objected tenderly, eyes sparkly with tears. "She won't be thinking of ..."

He turned on her. "I know Kara Thrace far better than you do," he said angrily. "She _never_ passes up an opportunity when it's there. They _will_ have a plan to stop us."

"Do you think they'll succeed?" the dark-haired one asked. "Apollo and Starbuck are a formidable pair when they work together. It's not often anyone can beat them."

It was almost undetectable but he could hear the tinge of bitterness in her voice - she didn't like Kara and Lee together.

"You were the one he ..." he began, but stopped as she nodded, drawing herself up to her full five-foot-two inches proudly.

"Yes I was."

"Well, maybe when we've got the child and have taken care of her you can have him back."

"You really think he'll want me back once he knows I'm a cylon?" she asked sadly.

"Stranger things have happened." He pulled out two guns and tossed one to the blonde. "You're with me." He turned to the dark-haired one. "You stay with the ship."

She nodded, though she was torn between wanting to see him again and wanting to stay away. Orders were orders though and he was the one in charge so she did what she was told. It was something she'd learned well living with them and it stood her in good stead now.

"Let's go."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Have they spotted us yet?"

"Don't think so."

"We don't have room for thinking. Know!"

"No sir, they haven't,' the pilot faltered. Tigh's commanding, self-assured ways were catching them all off guard.

"Jam their comm transmissions. Odds are there's at least one of them still in the ship and we don't want them alerting the others to our presence. We need the element of surprise in order to succeed."

The pilo nodded and carried out his orders.

"Get your supplies ready. It won't be long," Tigh called back to Ishay and her med tech. She nodded brusquely and began grabbing the cases.

"Is there another airlock on their ship?" Tigh peered through the front window. "Looks like it. Attach on my mark and we go in immediately."

The other person in the raptor, a junior lieutenant, pulled his weapon ready and stood behind Tigh, waiting for the airlock to open.

"Mark!" Tigh yelled and they barged in, surprising the one occupant of the ship who'd obviously seen them coming and was feverishly trying to contact the others aboard Lee's ship.

"Hands up you dirty son of a ..." Tigh gasped as she turned around. "Frak me," he said wonderingly. "Lieutenant Dualla."

She smiled confidently. "That's me."

"But you're dead."

"I was. I'm not anymore."

TBC


	31. Chapter 31

**WHTMT - chapter 31 - THE FINAL CHAPTER**

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

Tigh and the Lieutenant held their guns steady as he and Dee studied each other.

"Come on," Tigh called over his shoulder to Ishay, who, followed by her assistant, strode into the cylon ship. "How did you manage to have us convinced you were one of us for so long?"

Her lip curled in disdain. "It was easy. You wanted to believe."

"Oh no you don't, don't be blaming us for your evil ways," Tigh warned.

"You humans think you're so superior don't you?" she spat out.

"_We_ were the ones willing to live in peace with you. I know I'm getting old and fuzzy but I'm pretty sure _you_ were the ones trying to wipe us out."

"You were a flawed creation. You didn't deserve to live."

Tigh took a step closer and looked intently into her green eyes. "If we're so flawed, how come you were in love with Lee, a _human_?"

Her face worked as she sought to control her emotions. "He was part of the plan. We had to have control of someone near the top of the chain of command, and it was easier to seduce him than to try to get to you or Adama." She gave a self-conscious chuckle. "You don't _really_ think I loved him, do you?"

Tigh shook his head. "You just keep on telling yourself that and maybe someday you'll believe it." He turned back to Ishay as a look of pure venom crossed Dee's face. "Put her out. I don't want her alerting the others."

Ishay pulled a needle from her case. "I'm not sure this will work," she said tentatively.

"Try it anyway," Tigh encouraged. "Hell, it's not like it's human - we can try every drug you've got in there till we knock it out."

He strode forward and grabbed her arm in a brutal grip. She offered no resistance, perhaps because she was all-too aware of the gun leveled at her head.

Ishay stuck her and within moments she dropped to a heap on the deck.

"Stay and watch her," Tigh nodded at the Lieutenant. "I don't trust them."

He and the two med techs gingerly tiptoed through the other airlock and stood in a storage area of the ship, listening to the conversation going on not far from where they were standing.

"You look a little rough around the edges," Anders said, eyes roaming over Kara's body.

"Yeah? You try giving birth sometime. It's not as easy as it looks," she answered acidly.

They studied each other for a moment and Kara shivered at the icy-cold look in his blue eyes. How could she have read him so wrong? She'd always seen those eyes as warm, happy, loving ... had she just seen what she wanted to see? Or did he have some sort of way of controlling her mind and making her believe something that hadn't been there? Perhaps she'd never know the answer. She wasn't sure she really wanted to anyway.

"I want my baby," he said, breaking into her thoughts.

Reflexively, she pulled her daughter closer to her.

Lee's arm stole around her waist involuntarily - he'd always had the urge to protect her even when it seemed she didn't need it. Now she did, and she'd finally allowed it to show in their growing relationship.

Anders didn't miss it.

"So, didn't take you long to go back to him, did it?" he asked bitterly.

Her eyes blazed. "It wasn't 'going back'. There wasn't an 'us' before you."

Lee squeezed her tighter, remembering only too well the 'there is no us' declaration she'd made when it was all-too obvious there was. She hadn't been ready for it then, and in hindsight Lee could admit he hadn't been either. They'd each needed their experiences with others, and time apart to really see things for what they were. Technically she was right though - there hadn't actually been a 'them' till after Anders' death. Before that it had been a chaotic, wild, painful attraction that had nearly destroyed them both - not love.

"That's bullshit Kara. I knew from the moment you introduced me to him that there was something going on between you two. I watched you carefully but you never showed any other signs so I figured it was over. I always had a feeling someday you'd go back to him."

She stepped forward angrily. "_He_ never lied to me! _He's_ human and he loves me! _He's_ not planning on taking my baby away!"

"It comes down to that does it? I thought you didn't even want to have kids. Here's your out - give her to me and you'll be free again."

"Not a chance," she said in a voice that was deadly quiet.

"You don't want me to have to take her by force do you?" He nodded his head knowingly. "You thought you were a match for me - well that was when I was going easy on you, pretending to be human. And you were in much better shape then." He looked her up and down disdainfully.

Lee felt Kara's shame and a flush rose to his cheeks. He stepped forward till he stood between them.

"You have no right to say that, you son of a bitch," he growled in a low voice. "_You _did this to her, without her knowledge or consent. Whether or not she wanted to have a baby is irrelevant. She would never have been willing to have a cylon hybrid but you gave her no choice." He glared at Anders - the man he'd often thought of killing, just because _he_ had Kara. Now there was a good chance he was going to get to fulfil that fantasy and a part of him was smiling at the thought.

"I'm giving her a choice now. She can give me the baby and I'll let her live."

"No frakking way!" Kara said loudly, barely remembering not to shout.

Anders chuckled. "You know I always admired that stubborn 'Starbuck' streak and it certainly was useful in keeping you alive," his grin suddenly took on an evil look, "but now it's going to cost you your lives." He lifted his weapon and pointed it at Lee's chest. "Move or I'll shoot you."

Lee stood firm. "I won't let you take her."

Anders cocked the gun and began to pull the trigger. "I hope you've made peace with your gods then, because you're about to go meet them."

There was the sound of a gun firing.

"Lee!" Kara screamed.

But when she opened her eyes, he was still standing there in front of her ... and Anders was ina heap of blood on the deck in front of him.

Saul Tigh stood in the space where he'd been, a cat-ate-the-cream expression on his face as he blew on the end of his gun, reminding Kara of the old western movies she'd seen when she was younger. Her mouth hung open in surprise.

"Well, that was good timing, wasn't it?" Tigh said dryly, a cocky look on his face. One that looked eerily like the expression Kara often wore.

"I ... you ... how ..." Kara stammered, completely at a loss for words.

"It's okay, you can save the mushy crap for the old man," he said, eyes twinkling despite his grouchy words.

She smiled thankfully at him, their eyes meeting in understanding.

Unfortunately they'd all forgotten about the blonde cylon. She grabbed Lee suddenly and pulled him against her, twisting his arm almost enough to break it. He grimaced and let out a small grunt of pain.

"Give me the baby or he dies," she said in a low, firm voice.

"What do _you_ want her for?" Kara demanded, attention focused completely on her now. "She's not _your_ child."

"She's God's child. She belongs to Him, not to any of us. She has a higher purpose."

"So why were you willing to go along with him then?"

"I wasn't, but getting her from you seemed easier with his help. Once we had her I had every intention of killing him and taking her myself."

"I don't know why you're so obsessed with becoming like humans," Tigh put in, "since you're already almost there. You're willing to kill each other over a disagreement of opinion ... I'd say you don't have much farther to go."

His words angered her. "Enough chatter. Give me the baby."

"No Kara, don't do it," Lee pleaded in a raspy voice, lifting his head to look at her. "I'm not worth her life."

Kara shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Oh come on, it's just a _baby_," the woman said condescendingly. "If you try to keep her, you lose your lover. If you give me the baby, he lives and the two of you can make more of them."

Kara walked forward slowly, holding the baby out in front of her. "I won't let you die," she said tearfully to Lee. She turned her eyes to the cylon. "Let him go and she's yours."

"No! Don't - please Kara!" The pain in Lee's voice was agonizing.

"Just think how much she loves you," the woman said, releasing his arm and pushing him to the floor. "Give her to me," she demanded of Kara.

Tigh watched, open-mouthed as Kara prepared to hand over her child. Even though he'd had trouble picturing her as a mother, he would never have imagined she could do this. He tried to speak but no words would come. There had to be another way ...

A shot rang out, not as loud as the other one, but the woman dropped to the ground, blood spilling everywhere.

The baby began to cry, and Kara pulled it close to her, dropping the gun and rocking it, whispering hushed words of comfort.

"Lee!" Tigh leapt across the room as he saw blood spatter on the younger man's body and face.

"I'm okay. Just get this frakking thing off me!"

Tigh and the Lieutenant, who'd watched the proceedings with amazement, pried the cylon body off Lee and pulled him upright.

"Gods those things are heavy ... for something that looks human."

His eyes met Kara's and something passed between them. He pulled away from his rescuers and went to her, catching her in his arms as she was about to collapse, and sitting them both on a couch to the side.

She buried her face in his neck, ashamed to have Tigh see her cry.

Tigh felt just as uncomfortable as she did, so he busied himself with collecting the guns from the deck and unloading them.

Kara managed to pull herself together and handed Lee the baby, standing and walking over to where Tigh was fidgeting.

"I don't care if you don't like the mushy stuff," she said, and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him like there was no tomorrow.

At first he was shocked, then he put his arms around her and hugged back - not to tightly lest he hurt her, but feeling her warmth radiating into him and relaxing him. She was okay - he was relieved. She might be a pain in the ass ... okay she _was_ a pain in the ass, but he'd miss her if she were gone. In a strange way, she reminded him of himself in his younger days, before things started to go wrong and he immersed himself in alcohol to numb the pain. He and Ellen had never had children but he suspected if they would have, they'd have turned out exactly like her.

"The old man will be happy you're okay," he said gruffly, trying not to let his feelings show.

She knew though, and gave him another squeeze before letting go and heading back to Lee and her baby. Once Lee was free of the baby, he strode over and shook Tigh's hand heartily.

"Thanks," he said simply, and their eyes met, more being said silently. Their relationship had not always been a smooth one, but they had something in common, though neither of them showed it often - their love for the old man.

"How did you get here?" Lee asked.

Tigh gave him a condescending look. "Surely I shouldn't have to explain flying to _you_," he said sarcastically.

"I meant why are you _here_? I thought the XO wasn't supposed to go on dangerous missions like this."

Tigh shrugged. "Sometimes you've just got to break the rules." He glanced over at Kara, immersed in the baby and not listening to them. He glanced back at Lee and recalled the brief conversation he'd had with Bill before leaving.

_"I'm going with them."_

_"Oh no you're not, I need you here."_

_Tigh snorted. "You've never needed me, I'm just someone to fill the uniform. Let me do something useful for a chance."_

_"What if something happens?" Adama said, a worried frown crossing his face._

_"Think about it Bill - who else is there? Aside from you and I, our two most senior officers are gone. Do you trust leaving their rescue to a few green junior lieutenants and a couple of med techs?"_

_Adama didn't answer._

_"I didn't think so." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let me go. I know how important this is to you, and I promise you I'll get them back safely."_

_"Or die trying," Adama added._

_Tigh shrugged._

_Adama's lips turned up in a small smile. "You're a good friend Saul. And one of the bravest men I know. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."_

_Tigh cleared his throat in embarrassment at this show of affection. "We should go."_

_"Good hunting."_

_The two men's eyes locked._

_"I'll find them and bring them back," Tigh said, voice full of determination._

_"I know you will."_

"Colonel, we've got a problem." The junior Lieutenant's voice broke through the memories. "She's awake."

He came walking in, a familiar dark-haired figure in front of him.

"Dee!" Lee said, taking a step back in surprise. His face paled. "But you're ..."

"She's a cylon. One of _them._ Had us all well and truly fooled," Tigh said, anger evident in his voice.

"Dee ... how could you ...? You _lied_ to me." His surprise turned to anger. "How could you do this to _us_? To my father? He's going to be so disappointed when he finds out ... he _trusted_ you!" Lee spat, anger forming red splotches on his cheeks.

"Well maybe you should be a bit more careful about who you trust then. Both of you!" She looked pointedly at Kara.

"Don't you dare insult Kara!" he said angrily. "She's a hundred times the woman you are, even if you had been human!"

Her eyes narrowed. "I always knew you were still hung up on her, even when you were busy telling me you loved me."

"I don't think it took much insight to figure_ that _out," Tigh muttered.

Kara looked down at the sleeping bundle in her arms to avoid showing her embarrassment. Lee's cheeks turned a further shade of red.

After a few moments of embarrassed silence, Tigh spoke again.

"Well Captain, what shall we do with our 'friend' here? Bring her back with us or toss her out the airlock?"

Kara looked over at Lee and saw the indecision written all over his face. She imagined Roslin's voice - ' toss that thing out the airlock' and knew she would agree whole-heartedly with that decision. Anyone who toyed with you the way she had and Anders too, deserved death.

But Lee was not the hardass she was and she could tell he was struggling with it. After a few moments of tense silence she saw his face set resolutely and knew he'd made his decision.

"Put her in shackles. We'll take her back with us." Dee smiled thankfully at him, green eyes soft. "But she'll be our prisoner. There's no telling what kind of intelligence we can get from her ... with the right stimulation."

Tigh nodded, a slightly put-out expression on his face. He'd so hoped for the airlock ... but Lee was obviously more like his old man than he cared to admit.

Dee's face turned downcast as they handcuffed her. "I thought you cared for me," she pouted.

"My mistake," Lee answered coldly. He turned and noticed Kara, still standing beside him, looking pale. He looked pointedly at Ishay.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of them?" He nodded his head towards Kara and the baby.

Ishay coloured but she and her assistant took Kara and the baby back to the sleeping area as Lee followed Tigh down to the cargo section of the ship to secure Dee.

"So what's her name?" Tigh asked suddenly, out of the blue.

"What? Who?"

"The baby," he said condescendingly. "What's the baby's name?"

"Oh. Um... she doesn't have one yet ... I guess ... Kara never said ..."

Tigh shook his head. "You two are impossible, you know that?"

Lee gave a small sigh, then he smiled. "I've heard that."

"Go on then. Go see how they're doing. We'll take care of getting us home."

Home. _ Home._ Galactica had been anything but when he'd first boarded her two and a half years earlier. Now he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooo**

As they approached the fleet, dozens of twinkling lights in the darkness, Lee stood watching intently through the front window. A lump caught in his throat as he watched them draw closer to the only place they knew as home. Galactica - 'the bucket' had never looked so appealing.

Kara and the baby had been attended to and were sleeping peacefully as they journeyed home. Lee felt a heaviness in his eyelids as well, but though there were others with them now, he still felt responsible for bringing Kara and her daughter - _their _daughter, home safely.

His father's anxious face was the first thing he saw upon debarking from the Raptor, Kara by his side. A look was exchanged between the two - one no one could mistake, then Adama stepped forward and enclosed his son in a giant bear hug.

"It's good to be home," Lee murmured, heaving out a big sigh.

Eventually they pulled apart and Adama turned to Kara, lifting a hand to her cheek and stroking it gently.

"I see we have a new passenger," he said softly, amused at the shy smile on her face. She nodded.

"Is everyone okay?" Concern wrinkled his craggy features.

"We're fine," she answered quietly.

"Boy or girl?"

"Girl."

He smiled widely, as though the baby was his. "I always wanted a daughter to go along with my boys. What did you decide to name her?"

Kara's mouth opened but no sound came out. She looked over at Lee who shrugged, almost imperceptibly. Then she looked back at Adama.

"Erin Lee," she said softly.

"Erin Lee Thrace. That's a beautiful name," he murmured, hand dropping from Kara's cheek to stroke the baby's fuzzy, wrinkled head.

"Actually it'll be Erin Lee Adama," she corrected him shyly.

Adama's shaggy eyebrows raised as Lee encircled Kara's waist with his arm.

"Kara and I are engaged," he said simply, smiling radiantly.

Adama looked at the two of them, glanced back at Roslin who was also on hand to greet them, then back at Lee.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to realize what the rest of us have been able to see since the beginning."

Lee flushed as he and Kara shared a look. "I remembered some of the words to a poem I once heard - 'yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come but we have this moment today.' It wasn't till a few days ago that the significance of those words hit me, and I realized I didn't want to waste another day waiting for the 'right' time to come. Our bright, shiny future isn't off in the distance somewhere, it's right here, right now."

Adama put his arms around his family and beamed as he led them through the hangar bay.

"So say we all."

_ the end _

A/N: A great big huge thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story since the beginning - way back in the week between LDYB1 and 2. I can't believe it's taken this long and gone in such different directions than I'd originally planned, but I've enjoyed the journey and I hope you have too. Thank you especially to all who've written notes of thanks and given me feedback - it's helped inspire me to continue, and it's wonderful to know what parts of the story you've liked, not liked or had trouble believing. Thank you one and all.

Tracy


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